Customer Reviews

Speed (Widescreen Five Star Collection) [2 Discs]

5 star:		(126)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

before this movie,who knew Keanu Reeves could be a credible action
hero?Reeves impressed me with this effort.he put on a few pounds of
muscle for this one.Sandra Bullock is also in this one,and although her
character is likable,she just doesn't make the same impression as
Reeves does.i guess part of the reason is that her character really
isn't the focus,which can't really be blamed on her.Dennis hopper has a
nice turn as a sadistic villain.aside from the acting though,there are
a lot of good things about this movie.one is the relentless action.this
thing really movies.it's also a real nail biter at times.the writing by
Graham Yost is also good,as is the direction of Jan de Bont.as far as
action movies go,this one is right up there,in my opinion.i give
"Speed" a solid 4/5

SPEED has been one of the handful of movies made in the last ten years that I keep coming back to again and again when I need an action fix. I think it's partly because its premise is so impossibly simple: there's a bomb on a bus that will go boom if the bus goes below 50 miles per hour. That's it. I also think it's also because for all the noise and action, it really doesn't take itself too seriously. Everyone, even the usually sulking Jeff Daniels, appears to be having a good time. And, of course, it doesn't hurt to have the maniacal Dennis Hopper performing opposite Keanu Reeves who is properly underplaying his role as HERO.

SPEED, I admit, is a no-brainer. But if I wanted to watch something cerebral and intellectual, there are plenty of others to choose from. I mean, from which to choose.

This film is a terrific action adventure with an appealing hero and heroine, great stunts and special effects and a psycho villain who isn't as smart as he thinks he is. The movie races along through three tense episodes involving patrons on a high-rise elevator, passengers caught on a runaway city bus and a rapid transit train coursing through the dark tunnels of the under-construction Los Angeles subway system. Good-guy Jack Traven [Keanu Reeves] gets a great assist from feisty Annie Porter [Sandra Bullock] as she guides the bus on a wild ride on LA's freeways and busy streets while crazed extortionist Howard Payne [Dennis Hopper] does his best to make sure his diabolical plan doesn't fail. Even if the picture seems to borrow elements from some popular action films, this movie is a rollercoaster ride from start to finish and fans of exciting train action sequences will really enjoy the film's endgame which is a climactic struggle between good and evil.

A great film for the actions. It starts off in a lift that breaks down, then it goes onto a bus that once it reaches 50mile an hour, it can't go below that speed cos there is a bomb on the bus. Then in the end, the last 2 that are on the train find a way to get off, but they can't. Superb film even if you don't like any action films and shooting films.

Keanu Reeves is a rarity: he's a second-rate actor (at least compared to other big movie stars like Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford) who has kept his career afloat courtesy of a critically and commercially successful film every now and then. These films usually have the tendency to keep his big-screen acting career going steady for another four to five years, by which then he somehow latches on to another big hit. I hear he's going to be starring in the period epic Tripoli, so expect his career to extend to at least 2011.

Speed is one such film, his second after Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure), but it's one of those much-hyped blockbusters that's actually worth of all the acclaim it's received and then some. Bringing together a highly unlikely cast (Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Jeff Daniels, and a then unknown Sandra Bullock) and first-time director Jan De Bont, it must have spelled a recipe for disaster.

But by miracle or just pure filmmaking bravado (more the latter than the former, though if the film had been made yeseterday, I might be more inclined to agree with the former), they pulled off a great action film, one of the best ever.

After beginning with what must be one of the most intense opening credits sequences, the plot quickly gets underway. Mad bomber Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) has just rigged explosives to drop an elevator and its apparently wealthy occupants down quite a few floors to their deaths. But his plan to extort $3.7 million is foiled by quick-thinking LAPD cop Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) and his partner (Jeff Daniels, in pretty much the thankless role that really doesn't go anywhere).

Out for revenge, Payne raises the stakes further in his ransom demands by rigging a bomb under a city bus. Once the vehicle goes over 50 mph, the bomb will be activated, and once the bus goes below 50, it'll be detonated. Traven makes a mad dash for the bus, arriving after it's already passed 50 mph, but able to keep the bus from going below. Unfortunately, the driver is shot in a mishap, leaving spunky passenger Annie Porter (Sandra Bullock) to take the wheel. To make matters worse, they're in the middle of morning rush hour; staying about 50 mph will be almost an impossible task.

Speed is divided into essentially three acts and setpieces: the opening elevator sequence, the centerpiece with the bus, and finally a climactic (or post-climactic as some may see it) resolution which I won't divulge here. The bus sequence is easily the movie's highlight, quite possibly the longest action scene I've ever seen. The whole setpiece lasts just a little over fifty minutes and throws in every imaginably plausible hindrance there is to keeping a bus over 50 mph.

The stark simplicity of the premise is what fuels the film. There's probably no greater compliment I can pay the movie than to say that I can't imagine the premise being pulled off better. Every strand related to story and script is merely a means to keep the action and suspense going; I've rarely seen a film maintain such a high level of intensity and pure thrilling, crowdpleasing fun for such a lengthy period of time.

Director Jan de Bont's work here is probably among the best feature film debuts out there (only Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead comes to mind as an equally terrific debut, but was that even released in theaters in the U.S.?); he keeps the editing super-tight and the pacing frantic, but still puts the action together with crystal-clear comprehensibility. That's a fantastic accomplishment. Whatever happened to the de Bont who knew how to deliver such kinetic thrills? Each of his successive films have been progressively worse, and he's even gone as low as making a Tomb Raider sequel. Mr. de Bont, you're better than that.

The acting and dialogue are adequate enough that they don't distract from any of the action or thrills. Limited as his talent may be, Keanu Reeves is just one of those actors who I can't help but like. His performance here is still fraught with obvious moments of poor acting, but he's overall better than usual and occasionally even quite good, and he's a pretty damn easy hero to root for.

Sandra Bullock is perhaps the real standout of the picture. As feisty and sexy in a girl-next-door way as any heroine, Bullock is appealingly down to earth and entirely convincing as just a normal bystander caught in an unbelievable situation; this is as natural as acting gets. She also has damn good chemistry with Reeves, one of the vital elements missing in the sequel. Dennis Hopper is fine as the villain, this isn't really anything we haven't already seen from him in one form or another but his schtick was still amusing at the time. Cast directors must also be applauded for all (well, most of, a couple of the extras in the bus are pretty bad) the extras and character actors they used to play the bus passengers; there's a genuine sense of teamwork and solid chemistry at hand.

At no point does Speed ever crumble; its perfectly lean storytelling ensures that it never strays from the thrills on hand and it's so exciting only the biggest hard-hearted churl would try to nitpick the implausibilities. The last few minutes might seem a little excessive when one considers how exhausted we already are from all the non-stop action. That said, the third act is still very exciting, just not as inventive as the action that came before it.

Speed was inevitably followed by a sequel, which wasn't entirely unenjoyable in its own right, but misses a lot of the spark that's evident in this picture. Hell, I'd even say it needed Keanu Reeves, but by that magical Keanu rule of blockbuster hits, he wisely passed reprising the role of Traven and went on to star in The Matrix. Yup, I don't see his career extinguishing any time soon.

IMAGINE A CROWDED BUS OF PETRIFIED PASSENGERS GOING 55MPH, GOING THROUGH RED LIGHTS, STOP SIGNS, AND EVERYTHING ELSE IMAGINABLE, WITH THE UNCONCEIVABLE CONTENTION THAT IT IS BOOBY TRAPPED WITH A BOMB WITH A YOUNG DAMSEL IN DISTRESS (SANDRA BULLOCK) AT THE WHEEL, A DASHING YOUN HERO ( A SWAT OFFICIAL KEANU REEVES) WHO MUST SAVE THEM ALL FROM CERTAIN DEATH, AND A SADISTIC DERANGED VILLIAN (DENNIS HOPPER) WHO WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO CARRY OUT HIS SINISTER PLOT OF REVENGE, AT THE COST OF KILLING THEM ALL, THEN YOU HAVE THE MAKINGS OF THE GREATEST THRILLER SINCE "THE PERILS OF PAULINE" EVER TO HIT THE SILVER SCREEN! THIS ONE IS BOUND TO BE A CLASSIC! AND THE ACTION DOESN'T STOP HERE WITH THE BUS!!!! IT GOES ON TO AN OUT-OF-CONTROL SUBWAY TRAIN TO SMASHING THRILLING ENDING YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS! HOPPER IS ONE YOU HATE SO MUCH, YOU CAN'T WAIT TO DIE, MUCH LIKE JASON ISSAC DID IN "THE PATRIOT" WITH MEL GIBSON! FILLED EXPLOSIVE SPECIAL-EFFECTS, HIGH OCTANE EXCITEMENT AND SUSPENCE AND THRILLS AND DANGER AROUND EVERY CORNER "SPEED" TAKES YOU ON THE WILDEST, UNBELIEVABLE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE!!!! IF YOU ARE A THRILL SEEKER LOOKING FOR HIGH OCTANE EXCITEMENT, THRILLS, DANGER, SPECIAL-EFFECTS AND EXPLOSION THAT WILL BLOW YOU AWAY, AND EDGE-OF-YOUR- SEAT SUSPENSE, THIS VIDEO IS FOR YOU! WIDESCREEN IS ALL THE BETTER TO CAPTURE THE MAGNITUDE OF THE WHOLE PICTURE!!!! UNCONCIEVABLE!!!! UNREALISTIC!!!! UNIMAGINABLE!!!! EXPLOSIVE!!!!

Ok, when I watched it in the cinemas, it was great. The action was there, the intense feeling was there (its like "24", only its almost 2 hours long), you grip on to your seat, you scream and shout and its like "Keanu is so cool" and all... and it was the complete hit for everyone. I was hook even.

But then comes the DVD Five Star Collection. Yes, the extras were there. Yes, some of the fun things about the making of the movie is there. The deleted scenes were necessary to be taken out from the movie and now you can watch it and say "thank you for taking it out, Mr. Editor" and most of all, the music video that isn't... well, anything exceptional.

Still, one of the most irritating features for this collection was the interactive menus. I had a hard time pressing for the selected path I want to go. Worst even I had to push the arrow button a few times to get there. And the opening of the menu... the music really gets me on my nerves.

All in all, yes I enjoyed the movie despite the flaws you can see while watching the movie. It can be part of your collection if you enjoy this movie... but then again, while watching one too many times, you might get tire of it. Still, a movie that makes Keanu looks cool... and that is before "The Matrix" even (which make him SUPER COOL!).

This movie is excellent - if you don't realise that it is supposed to be serious. If you think that it is a parody of action movies then it is great. Reeves' over the top deep macho voice is hilarious, and the women all cry and panic whilst the men all say "grrr" and make smart-alec quips - think Brad and Janet in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". The characters are extremely shallow and unbelievable - one minute Bullock is freaking out, and the next she is coyly flirting with Reeves. If you want intentional hilarious parody then I'd recommend "Rocky Horror" instead.

You're going to say one thing after watching "Speed," and that will be "Whoa." This is an action film as exhausting as "Die Hard" and as exhilarating as the "Terminator" movies. It moves with the pacing of a John McTiernan picture and it has the perfection of a James Cameron action film. Its director, Jan De Bont, has worked on such films as "Die Hard" and "The Hunt for Red October," so it's no surprise that he bears a resemblance behind the camera to McTiernan.

The film is blunt, fast-paced and extremely exciting. It stars Keanu Reeves as Jack Traven, a Los Angeles bomb squad member as cool as he is decisive. Jack has been called into duty, along with his partner and friend, Harry (Jeff Daniels), to stop a madman bomber (Dennis Hopper), who has taken control of an elevator and will drop it to the ground unless his demand of three million dollars is met.

Jack takes his chances and ends up saving the day, but not before Harry is taken hostage and survives with a bullet shot. Howard Payne (Hopper) is dead, blown to pieces by his own bomb, and so they all go have a drink and party till the moon goes down and the sun rises up. You get the idea.

But Payne didn't really die, and now he's very mad at a certain somebody who foiled his last plan. He's spent a lifetime being treated as dirt, and he has convinced himself that he deserves the $3 million more than anybody else. Jack begs to differ, but he has no time to argue when Payne reappears and triggers a downtown bus with a bomb. The catch? If the bus accelerates past 50 M.P.H. and then drops below that point as before...kaboom.

Jack manages to board the bus, but not before it reaches 50, and not before the bus driver gets shot by a criminal on the bus and Annie (Sandra Bullock) has to play driver for the rest of the day. The problem is, downtown LA during rush hour is not exactly open to a large bus, so with the help of the LAPD, the bus is driven to a deserted stretch of highway, where they have a limited amount of time to either disarm the bus or pay up the sum of money to Payne.

Meanwhile, Howard Payne is monitoring everything from his position in an apartment in LA, where he has a gadget wired up to the security camera in the bus, so that he can watch everything that's happening. If anyone tries to get off the bus, or if anyone tries to be a hero, he presses a little red button and.kaboom. Only this time, he's determined not to fail.

This is a ludicrously and ridiculously delicious plot. I'm surprised it hasn't been done already. Well, actually, it sorta has. Yes, this film bears an uncanny resemblance to "Die Hard," only on a bus, but you know what? It's just about as good. It's exciting, humorous, and absolutely fun from start to finish. It never stops to go into boring conversations back at the FBI headquarters that so many action films do to try and make them look smarter. It never lets up for a moment once it starts.

All good action films have comedic relief, and "Speed" - apart from occasional witty remarks between Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves and/or Dennis Hopper - has Alan Ruck and Jeff Daniels. You may remember Ruck as Cameron Frye in John Hughes' "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986), and you may remember him from the television show "Spin City," and here he plays a tourist who isn't really able to understand the situation they're in on the bus. "The airport?" he says as the bus swerves down a runway. "I've already been here."

Daniels is one of cinema's great character actors with dry subtle humor. He can do dramatics ("Gettysburg"), he can do comedy ("Dumb and Dumber"), and he can now do action. It takes an odd sort of acting genius to subtly upstage Jim Carrey, but he did just that in "Dumb and Dumber" by making a subtle goofball out of his character, Harry Dunne. Here he does the same with the sort of bleak sarcastic quips he was born to say.

Jan De Bont knows how to film action. Just when you think everything's going to slow down after the bus finally stops, we realize it's just the beginning. Payne kidnaps Annie, takes her to a subway train, and tries to run away with her to lure Jack. It works. And in the climatic gripper, Jack and Payne fight on the top of a speeding subway train. It was done in "Mission: Impossible" a small number of years later, but this came first. And the film is better.

Can Keanu Reeves act? Hardly. He does his usual "Whoa" routine here, where his lines primarily consist of long pauses and, "Huh?" "What?" "Whoa," "Wow," "F--k me," "Bogus," and so on. But an action film doesn't need a good actor, and Reeves fits the part. It was his breakthrough action role - without it, he never would have appeared in "The Matrix."

"Speed" is one of the great action films. It bears similarities to "Die Hard," "Lethal Weapon," "RoboCop," "Total Recall," "The Terminator" (1 and 2), "Predator," and all those other hard-punching action films with a fast pace and a real kick (it doesn't bear resemblance to all of the films as much as the raw force behind them). You know the kind of hard action flicks I mean - the kind that make you feel beaten up by the time it's all over. The kinds that make you leave the theater bruised and swollen.

You're going to be going 50 miles per hour watching "Speed," and in this case, that's a good - no, great - thing.

I bought this movie a few years back, and I can still enjoy it. This movie was praised because it was a great movie. This movie made it somewhere because it was simple for even 10 year olds (that's how old I was when I first saw it)to understand the plot. Movies that have a more complicated plot is not as enjoyable. If a movie goes too deep into the story, it's going to get boring and confusing. So kudos to the cast for making a movie that anyone can understand and enjoy. That's one big complaint about this movie. The second one is about the realism. If you were to rate all movies on the realism only, then the Matrix, the Hot Chick, and Resident Evil would all get below zero stars (or on amazon, all one stars). Plus the only unrealistic part is when the bus jumps a fifty foot gap, and it is kind of realistic. You couldn't jump fifty feet, but you could jump a few feet because of the incline. And when they make the turn at over fifty miles per hour, all of the passengers moved to the other side of the bus, which is realistic enough. The other big issue is bad acting. They did a great job and gave you solid entertainment. Let's see some of you act without screwing up every two seconds or getting fired for doing a bad job. Obviously these were the best people for the job and they did great.
Now on to the review. This movie was released in 1994 and became a big hit. It is funny, serious, and a great action movie that builds up the tension. Every few minutes there is a new obstacle to overcome and is vital to whether the bus blows up and they all die or the survival of the passengers on the bus. This movie has all the ingredients for a good movie. A hero (Keanu Reeves), the bad guy (Dennis Hopper), the sidekick (Jeff Daniels), the girl that the hero saves and falls in love with (Sandra Bullock), a simple plot (a psycho puts a bomb on a bus and if the bus goes below fifty miles per hour it will explode), and suspense that will keep you glued to your seat. It ultimatly aces that part, which is a hint that it is a good movie. This is my favorite movie besides Die Hard and is almost as good as Die Hard. This movie is great for anyone who enjoys action movies and can take some unrealistic action. This movie is highly recommended to everybody. ***** out of ***** for one of the best action movies of all time.