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Speed (1994)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
5/04, 12/19
12/19:
Speed is unique because the star of the film is a mass transit bus.
That's all the people talked about back then when the movie hit the screens. Never mind getting through traffic so quickly
at 8:30 AM in Los Angeles which is one of the most congested in the nation, how the hell was the bus able to jump off and
clear fifty feet of nothing below? Eventually, a special feature was added for the DVD to explain how it was done through
the skillful editing with CGI that was still in infancy.
Once the bus blew up in front of the moving airplane, the momentum ended. Instead of stopping there, the director decided
to add more by improbably allowing Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) to go after the mad bomber, hence the point loss in my rating.
At the same time, Annie (Sandra Bullock) went along for the ride as an excuse for the contrived love subplot when she
should've been sent to the hospital and be done for the day.
The funniest part is the ethnicity makeup of the bus passengers. The casting director has done a good job of making
sure not to leave anyone out in order to represent the world. Oh, drat...he forgot to include a Pakistan with a turban, an
Arab with a hijab, and an Eskimo with a fishing spear. Well, next time. The sexually disturbing lines the Hispanic
passenger was supplied with strongly suggests he watches a lot of porn during his free time.
Many times in the past, I told people that before begin playing Speed they should immediately fast-forward the
opening credits because who the hell wants to watch an elevator shaft going down from one level to another? I don't
think I've seen anything this mind-numbing before.
There are many unbelievable, or rather painful, scenes. One is when Jack Traven jumped from the Jaguar car onto the bus and
his legs looked practically broken (surprisingly, Keanu Reeves did that stunt for real). It's just a dumb move when
he should've transitioned himself like how he did later from the bus to the van at the airport. The other is when he
readied the access panel to slide down while holding Annie; during that moment, I was like, "Why not make it easier by
just getting off the bus in the same manner like before?"
Although the acting is standard for the most part, Keanu Reeves is the standout as he's the catalyst of many action scenes
along with his professional demeanor as a SWAT officer. Having seen the film in 1994, I must say it's the
beginning, along with Point Break, that he was able to shed off the Ted "Theodore"
Logan image successfully by remaking himself into a bona fide action star. I'll be remiss if I don't mention how good
Joe Morton is as Lieutenant McMahon, Jack Traven's superior.
All in all, Speed is what I call an "edge-of-your-seat" thriller although it runs far too long after the mass
transit bus has had it.