Speed

• Directed by Jan de Bont (Feature Directorial Debut)
• June 7, 1994 (Hollywood) / June 10, 1994 (US)

With a city bus rigged to explode if its speed drops below 50 miles per hour, an LAPD officer must stop a vengeful extortionist from carrying out his plan.

For a feature film directorial debut for Jan de Bont, Speed is an excellent beginning. It’s smart, exciting, nail-biting, and all-around thrilling. Once the action starts the film never lets up until just before the credits making the whole experience feel like a thrilling ride. Something is always happening. There is a level of controlled chaos that even though you can safely assume everything will mostly end on a happy note you don’t know how or are 100% certain if it will.

One thing that strikes me is the beginning bomb incident is not necessarily the start of the movie but rather the teaser for the story to come much like a TV show of the era might have just before the opening credits. It demonstrates what LAPD Officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) will be up against. We get a taste of how the hero and the villain will react during the meat of the film.

In the 90s there was no more talented young actor than Keanu Reeves. Largely true now as an older actor. He conveys the emotion, intensity and obsession of his character. That’s all mixed with a little bit of crazy but a crazy tempered by intelligence along with ethics. 

Traven faces off against bitter former Atlanta cop Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) who was placed on leave after losing a thumb. Payne is after money he feels owed rather than the crappy watch he was given. This is a great moment in screen villainy. Hopper as usual is over the top with an attention capturing performance. A bit chewing the scene but absolutely maniacal yet not irrational crazy. He’s a focused crazy adding a flair that no other actor at the time could.

One of things that works about Speed is the good guy and the bad guy are more or less the same character. Traven is a good cop with maybe a screw or three loose but always aiming to do the right thing. Payne is missing a few screws too. Like Traven he is schooled in explosives but unlike Traven lacks a moral code. They are evenly matched leading to viewer uncertainty on who can succeed given each has an equal ability.

This movie also put Sandra Bullock on the map in the part of Annie Porter. As the female lead, she didn’t have too much to build on but made a character that you could actually like and was more than the offered material. She wasn’t overly skilled but rather a woman who got caught up in extraordinary circumstances. Much of what has carried her through her career began here.

While you cannot off a main character too early, Jan de Bont and friends nicely build the supporting cast to the point they matter. You want EVERYBODY to survive with the obligatory death or injuries making the possibility of success for Traven and Potter feel shaky. They may be desperate characters, but nobody’s a caricature. All are relatable.

Each character brings something different to the story. Sometimes it is as a sounding board or by doing something another cannot. LAPD Detective Harry Temple (Jeff Daniels) is the legwork of the story with Traven and occasionally Annie being the mental filter. The friendship between the two male leads feels almost reluctant on the part of Temple. Not in a bad way but he sometimes questions how the two became close.

Though nothing is obvious, there is a logical progression from start to finish. Each problem encountered was logical and a surprise. There is a sense it is grounded yet a bit outlandish. When was the last time you saw a bus jump a 50-foot gap? This is an out of hand hostage situation that never feels silly. The villain’s motivation is petty but feels big.

Speed lives up to its name. Ever get on a fast-moving amusement park ride? You know that feeling that you have once it’s all over? It’s that endorphin rush that only comes from pure enjoyment while also being a little worried or scared. That’s what you get from here. It’s a very kinetic high action movie.

This was done in the days before CGI so everything is done on camera with either an actual bus or miniature detailed enough that it looks real. The visceral thrill you get from seeing so many practical effects and stunts helps to make this so much more than what it actually is.

Speed is an excellent film and a great way to begin your at your career. Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, and Dennis Hopper create an excellent story that you can’t stop watching. Not only an action classic but a movie classic.