Title: Speed
Release date: 10 June 1994
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Dennis Hopper
Director: Jan de Bont
Synopsis: When a vengeful bomber rigs a city bus to explode if it drops below 50 miles per hour, a young cop and a brave civilian must keep it moving — and everyone alive.
Reviewed by: Sarah
A High-Stakes Thrill Ride That Balances Chaos with Character
Speed is the kind of movie that shouldn’t work as well as it does. The premise sounds like a pitch from someone who forgot to prepare for a meeting and blurted out the first thing that came to mind: “There’s a bomb… on a bus… and it’ll explode if the bus goes under 50.” But somehow — thanks to razor-sharp pacing, surprisingly likeable leads, and a script that winks just enough without collapsing into parody — it’s a 90s action classic that still holds up with white-knuckle tension and an absurd amount of charm.
Keanu Reeves, stepping out of the shadow of Point Break and just before sliding into The Matrix, plays Jack Traven — a LAPD SWAT officer with a buzzcut, a calm voice, and the emotional range of a houseplant… and that somehow works. He’s not a quip machine or a tortured antihero. He’s a straight-arrow guy doing his job, which makes him the perfect foil for the sheer chaos to come.
Sandra Bullock, on the other hand, steals the whole thing with ease. As Annie, the everyday civilian who finds herself driving the death bus through the streets of Los Angeles, she’s funny, grounded, and refreshingly real. There’s a moment where she grips the steering wheel and shouts something like, “I’m not even supposed to be here!” and you feel that in your soul. She isn’t a damsel, nor is she an unrealistic action heroine. She’s the person we’d all want sitting in the driver’s seat when the road goes to hell.
Dennis Hopper plays the villain, Howard Payne, with greasy menace and a delightfully unhinged energy. He’s exactly the kind of bad guy this film needs: bitter, smart, and just a bit theatrical. He’s got a backstory (something-something pension, revenge, etc.), but he’s mostly here to taunt our heroes over the radio like a gleeful chaos goblin.
The real star, however, is the idea. The bus is a pressure cooker on wheels. The film doesn’t waste time — within 15 minutes, the hook is set, and from there it’s one long pulse spike. There’s something inherently thrilling about a vehicle that can’t stop, careening through red lights, freeways, and eventually, a gap in the road that apparently everyone on the production team agreed not to question. The laws of physics are bent, broken, and cheerfully ignored, but by then, you’re too invested to care.
Director Jan de Bont, making his directorial debut after years as a cinematographer (Die Hard, no less), knows how to keep things taut. The camera is always moving, but never disorienting. He treats the bus like a character — a lumbering beast that could tip over, explode, or hit traffic at any moment. And the tension is maintained with clever obstacles: baby carriages, traffic jams, unfinished highways, and, yes, that infamous jump.
What’s surprising, though, is how emotionally engaging the whole ride becomes. The passengers aren’t caricatures — okay, a couple of them are — but most get moments of humanity that raise the stakes. There’s camaraderie on that bus. Fear, yes, but also humour and weirdly wholesome teamwork.
And then there’s the romance — Jack and Annie, sweaty and soot-covered, navigating flirtation while dodging fireballs. Their chemistry is light but believable, born out of crisis and mutual respect. It never feels forced, and the final line — “Relationships that start under intense circumstances never last.” “Okay. Then let’s base it on sex.” — is exactly the kind of chaotic optimism this movie earns.
Fast, fun, and surprisingly charming, Speed proves that a wild premise can still deliver smart thrills
Speed isn’t deep. It’s not trying to make a statement. But it is brilliantly efficient, endlessly rewatchable, and a blueprint for how to turn a ludicrous premise into something exhilarating. It’s a popcorn movie with rocket fuel in its veins — and it never once hits the brakes.
