Speed (1994)

A young police officer must prevent a bomb exploding aboard a city bus by keeping its speed above 50 mph.

Director:

Jan de Bont

Writer:

Graham Yost

Stars:

Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock

Won 2 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Keanu Reeves	...	Jack Traven
Dennis Hopper	...	Howard Payne
Sandra Bullock	...	Annie
Joe Morton	...	Capt. McMahon
Jeff Daniels	...	Harry
Alan Ruck	...	Stephens
Glenn Plummer	...	Jaguar Owner
Richard Lineback	...	Norwood
Beth Grant	...	Helen
Hawthorne James	...	Sam
Carlos Carrasco	...	Ortiz
David Kriegel	...	Terry
Natsuko Ohama	...	Mrs. Kamino
Daniel Villarreal	...	Ray
Simone Gad	...	Bus Passenger #1

Storyline

When a young Los Angeles police department, Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T.) officer called Jack Traven angers retired Atlanta police department bomb squad member Howard Payne, by foiling his attempt at taking hostages stuck in an elevator with a bomb, Payne in retaliation arms a bus with a bomb that will explode if it drops below 50 miles per hour. With the help of spunky passenger Annie, Jack and his partner Detective Harry Temple try to save the people on the bus before the bomb goes off, while also trying to figure out how Payne is monitoring them.

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Plot Keywords:

bus | bomb | time bomb | public transport | police | 

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Taglines:

Get ready for rush hour.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

(Rated R for violence and language)

Did You Know?

Trivia

Whenever a highway scene needed to be re-shot, all the cars had to return to a starting mark. Jan de Bont said, "It was a logistical nightmare."

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Goofs

The 707 involved in the collision with the bus is missing its front passenger door. If the door was in place it would be visible folded back against the fuselage.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Workman: Hey, this area's restricted.
Howard Payne: Oh, hi. Yeah, I know. They called me down here. Some of this wiring got screwed up.
Workman: Nobody called it down to me. I'm going to have to see a work order.
Howard Payne: Yeah, just a second. There you are.
[stabs workman in the ear with a screwdriver]
Howard Payne: Nothing personal.

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Alternate Versions

TV versions shown on the USA Network after 9/11/2001 edit out a line from the scene where Jack and Annie discuss the bombers' motives. Sandra Bullock's line "Did we blow up his country or something?" is cut and the dialogue proceeds to Keanu Reeves' next line.

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Connections

Edited into Epicenter (2000)

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Soundtracks

A Million Miles Away
Written by Peter Case, Joey Alkes and Chris Fradkin (as Chris Fredkin)
Produced by Ralph Sall
Performed by The Plimsouls

User Reviews

Masterly precision of action storytelling

An American action thriller; A story about an LAPD cop who tries to rescue civilians by boarding a moving city bus rigged to explode. There are breathtaking aerial shots, mind-boggling stunts, and camera positioning which puts the audience right at the centre of the action. The film won two Academy Awards for Sound production. Sandra Bullock gives very good support with a twinkle in her eye. Dennis Hopper is very well cast as the diabolical villain. Keanu Reeves gives a corny but commanding performance. It's a film which centres on action and stunts, foregoing character development or personality, but it's a terrific adventure and embodies the perils and thrills of speed.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 June 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Bus That Couldn't Slow Down

Filming Locations:

MTA Subway, Hollywood and Highland Terminal, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,456,194, 12 June 1994

Gross USA:

$121,248,145

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$350,448,145

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Mark Gordon Company, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS (uncredited)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1