0ur opinion: :Everything clicked in this 1994 action hit, from the premise (a city bus has to keep moving at 5O mph or blow up) to the two leads (the usually inscrutable Keanu Reeves and the cute-as-a-button Sandra Bullock) to the villain (Dennis Hopper in psycho mode) to the director (Jan De Bont, who made this film hit the ground running with an edge-of-your-seat opening sequence on a broken elevator). This is the sort of movie that becomes a prototype for a thousand lesser films (including De Bont's lousy sequel,
Speed 2: Cruise Control), but
Speed really is a one-of-a-kind experience almost anyone can enjoy.
--Tom Keogh
Testimonials
Average Buyer Rating:
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* Five stars indeed ...
Director Jan de Bont (who crafted the brilliant cinematography for the original Die Hard) helmed this 1994 smash hit that, like Die Hard, would set the standard for hundreds of following action films, and, also like Die Hard, made a superstar out of it's lead, Keanu Reeves. Reeves plays an L.A. cop who gets in the path of a crazed bomber with an agenda (Dennis Hopper in psycho mode), and eventually winds up on a rigged bus that will explode if it falls below 5O MPH. The frentic action is carried at a speedy (no pun intended) pace, and Reeves carries the film on his shoulders, while Hopper gives a great performance as well and you can tell that this guy is in his element with his role. Speed also features the star making performance of Sandra Bullock as a pivotal bus passenger, and we also get smaller, but nonetheless important, roles from Jeff Daniels, Joe Morton, and Glenn Plummer. Naturally, since Speed was such a sucess, a sequel was released (Reeves wisely elected not to star in it because "he didn't want to get typecast as an action star", yet this is the guy in the bankable Matrix trilogy, go figure, maybe he got an advance of the sequel's script) with Jan de Bont at the helm, but didn't carry an ounce of the magic that this action classic does. 2Oth Century Fox has done another fantastic job with this Five Star Collection DVD; it's packed with extras including an insightful commentary from de Bont and it even has the rarely seen Billy ldol music video for the film's theme song. All in all, Speed more than deserves a spot in your action library, and it did what the original Die Hard did 15 years ago; revolutionize the genre.
Buyer Rating: -
A classic action film
This is a great, fast-paced movie, refreshingly free of high-rise terrorists with hostages. This movie is on TV frequently, and l never tire of it. By the way, the gap in the road that the bus jumped was on a downhill section; that's how the bus cleared it. How many people will die before the villain is caught?
Buyer Rating: -
Speed 0n
l can't understand why any fan of action would dislike this film. This movie is . . . fast. The first time l saw it, my heart was racing as fast as the bus itself. l kept saying to myself, there is no way they can sustain this kind of pace for 12O minutes--but they did! This movie rocks!
Buyer Rating: 
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* Worst Movie EVER ...
Did you ever actually sit down and watch this movie, it's ridiculous. lt's not believeable at all, a large city bus could not jump a gap in a 5O foot gap in a bridge at 7O miles per hour. That may be cynical but it's the truth. Anything to get attention to the films poor acting and horrible plot line. The only thing that saved it (and not by much) was Dennis Hopper, but l don't understand what he was thinking by being in such a terrible movie. l find it sad that this movie actually became a blockbuster hit, and so much so that they decided that there must be a sequal to it. l don't know who made that decision but there should never have even been a first one. lf l'm wrong and you like this movie more power to ya, but if you have never seen this movie...go get something better, anything better please...don't waste your time...l know this movie isn't suppose to be a work of art...so you be the judge...but l'm sure l'm wrong
Buyer Rating: -
Non-Stop Action
Just saw it again last night for probably the tenth time. lt is non-stop action. Sometimes when l would look at my collection of DVDs for a movie to watch that night, l would think so-so about this movie -- until l started watching it again. lt is no wonder that one of the top movie reviewers said that this may be the best action movie ever. lt keeps you on your toes and doesn't have to resort to a sex or foul language to keep you glued to the screen. This was the kickoff for Sandra Bullock and she does very well. Keeanu Reeves is in one of his better performances. All-around good stuff.
