SPEED

WHY I BOUGHT IT

Pop quiz hotshot!

In your last entry you made it a point to mention how going in alphabetical order was a godsend in terms of forcing you to watch movies for this damn column. But then you bought SPEED on 4K and can’t wait that long. WHAT DO YOU DO?

You watch that shit. That’s what you do.

Spoilers for SPEED to follow.

SPEED is perfect. A wall to wall banger. The second the movie started and that iconic theme came on my heart started racing (which is wild because it’s just credits appearing over an empty elevator shaft). This movie is so good I’m honestly not sure why we don’t talk about it more. It’s easily in the same conversation as Die Hard, Predator or any other action classics. I’m not saying the movie is underrated by any means (the movie grossed $121 million domestically on a budget of $30 million and even won two Oscars) but it just feels like we don’t talk about this movie enough. Anyway, I digress.

Either way, SPEED is absolutely Top Tier 90’s action cinema thanks to perfect casting (even the smallest part is spot on), a breakneck pace that doesn’t let you breathe and a plethora of OG stunt work that to this day trumps plenty of modern action filmmaking.

Honestly I have to much to say about this flick that I feel a little overwhelmed, so I’m just gonna start with the best part of SPEED.

Keanu Reeves.

I think it’s safe to say at this point that Keanu is a National Treasure. John Wick has brought him back into the zeitgeist in a big way, and everyone seems to finally be on the same page in thinking that Reeves is simply awesome. He hasn’t always been amazing in every role (I think a lot of his less successful roles had more to do with poor casting than poor talent), but no matter what, he forever slaps.

I actually first saw SPEED around the same time I saw Die Hard With A Vengeance, and Keanu’s performance had a huge impact on me. Bruce Willis as John McClane was the action hero that seemed human and thus relatable, but Keanu Reeves as L.A. SWAT Cop Jack Traven was the character I dressed up as and played around the house. He was the ultimate good guy, just born to be a hero, and Keanu plays it with the perfect amount of brain and machismo. His Jack Traven is a smarter and more confident Johnny Utah (no shade towards Point Break, obviously) and he delivers in spades.

Reeves was 29 when he filmed SPEED, and he was just confident, cocky and cool enough to make Jack just as confident, cocky and cool. From the second he appears onscreen Reeves is in charge, swagger at 100% and it’s honestly one of his best performances. Jack deals with shit coming at him at a constant rate for almost the entire runtime of the movie, and Reeves keeps him calm, making him that much more badass. The scene where he has to talk down the guy who pulls a gun on the bus is so good, and Reeves is so believable, with sincere desperation in his voice. He’s desperate to save everyone on this bus, even this idiot who doesn’t realize how much worse he is making things, and Reeves sells it like the action hero he is. Scene after scene dealing with more and more shit and Jack heroes his way out of it.

Except of course, when his SWAT partner Harry, played by Jeff Daniels (!), dies in an explosion set off by Howard Payne, the films villain, brilliantly played by Dennis Hopper. Up until this point Jack has always been able to keep his cool, but as soon as he hears about Harry’s death he hangs up the phone, takes a single beat, and begins to lose it. Screaming and beating the railing of the bus, it’s the most vulnerable he gets in the movie, and Keanu absolutely nails it. The emotion feels earned, especially after all he’s been through, and it’s a testament to Reeves’ performance for making Jack such a memorable character. Plus his line reading of “CANS!” is forever stuck in my head.

It also doesn’t hurt that Keanu does almost of all his own stunts. There are so many shots of him actually speeding down a freeway chasing after the bus, jumping on the bus and going underneath the bus, all while moving. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, OG stunts just hit different, and Keanu pulls of some truly incredible stunt work here. Not as martial arts or gun heavy as The Matrix or John Wick films, but still just as physically impressive.

But look, Sandra Bullock damn near steals the whole movie. Her performance in SPEED is one of those lightening in a bottle Movie Star moments. We are introduced to her Annie as she runs after the ill-fated bus 2525 as it pulls away from her morning bug stop, and immediately proves herself likable as she confesses her gratitude to her friend Sam the bus driver for stopping as well as cleverly getting herself out of talking to fellow bus passenger/tourist Alan Ruck. Her presence brings a lot of the humor found in the movie, and SPEED is all the better for it. In short, Bullock is fucking adorable and her chemistry with Reeves only aides in the audience rooting for both of these characters. The two have one particular exchange that I can’t stop thinking about since watching it. Right after the lady gets blown up for trying to get off the bus, Annie is having a (justified) moment, feeling grateful for still being alive but also guilty for having said emotions. Jack kneels down as says, “He’s the asshole, Annie. The guy who put us here. Remember that.” “Big asshole”, Annie responds as she gets herself together. It’s such a small moment, but it holds so much weight. It’s very gratifying to call someone who deserves it an asshole, and the two characters become even more relatable. Good job, guys!

As I said before, Dennis Hopper is having a blast as the former cop looking to get the payout he deserves from the LAPD. On paper, the character is as thin as it gets, but Hopper is deranged enough to turn a whatever role into something wholly memorable and menacing. Most of what his character says is nonsense (“Don’t fuck with Daddy!” is my personal favorite) but Hopper delivers that nonsense with glee, and the result is one of his best performances of the 90s.

It should also be pointed out that every character in the movie is perfectly cast, right down to the hostages, both in the elevator and in the bus. Some have more to do than others (Ortiz! Ruck!), but everyone sells the fear 100%. One of the best cast of hostages ever assembled.

Longtime cinematographer Jan de Bont (Die Hard, Lethal Weapon 3, Basic Instinct) makes his directorial debut with SPEED, and what a debut it is. De Bont uses his camera background to perfection, framing the bus and shooting action in a way that is always clear and propulsive. Between this and Twister, Jan de Bont helmed two of the most entertaining blockbusters of the 90s. It’s a shame his stock fell so low so soon after (but that’s what happens when you make Speed 2: Cruise Control).

SPEED is the perfect action movie. Filled with legit stunts, two true blue movie star performances, a supporting cast led by Jeff Daniels, a sense of humor throughout and an over the top Dennis Hopper, it’s clear I bought SPEED because SPEED rules. If you haven’t seen this flick in a while (or just plain haven’t seen it), do yourself a favor and change that NOW.