Unlike every other week, this week is a retrospective of a classic film that was the one movie I went to the theatres three times to see when it came out. It’s been thirty years since the summer of 1994, and thanks to the purchase of 20th Century Fox by Disney, the greatest action film of the 1990’s, Speed, is now a Disney classic.
Logline
Jack Traven is a hotshot SWAT cop in LA and with his partner Harry they rescue multiple hostages from a mad bomber holding the innocent civilian’s captive in a rigged elevator. With the civilians saved, Jack and Harry pursue the bomber only to believe the madman has died through suicide.
Fast forward a few weeks later, and the bomber, Howard Payne, is back for vengeance. Teasing Jack with a scenario of a bomb on a bus, Traven has a limited time to get to bus 2525, in hopes of stopping it before the explosive is armed. Once the bus goes 50 mph, the bomb is armed, and if it drops below fifty after that, it explodes.
Jack races to find the bus, only to see it well past the arming speed. Boarding the bus, Jack encounters difficulty with the passengers which leads the driver to get shot. Thanks to the plucky nerve of a passenger named Annie, Jack takes control of the bus and tells them about the bomb.
Working with Annie who is now driving the bus, Jack is pleased to see the support of the SWAT team led by Lt. McMahon in an accompanying flatbed truck. Encouraged by his captain to evacuate the bus, Jack refuses, fearing that Payne would see and then blow the bus up.
Navigating LA traffic, missing sections of the freeway, and accidentally puncturing the fuel tank of the bus, Jack learns that Howard Payne is ahead of the game, and very deadly. Jack’s tenacity, and Annie’s courage will win the day, but there will be a cost to the city of LA.
High Praise
Keanu Reeves is brilliant. He plays Jack Traven with a detached suave approach that not only makes the ‘supercop’ normal, but someone that audiences connect with. He’s impulsive and reckless, intelligent, and brave. Jack Traven is a human being, and thanks to Reeves’ approach to the role and his quiet intensity, he takes a role that would be easily cliche, and makes it memorable.
Sandra Bullock is the second key ingredient that is essential for the film to succeed. The role of Annie needs to be strong and independent, vulnerable, and secure; Bullock brings a sophisticated intelligence to a role that could easily be sidelined as the damsel in distress role. Annie is no damsel, and it’s Bullock’s strength and talent in the small moments of humor and the thrilling action pieces that allows the viewers to see how crucial Annie is to Jack succeeding.
Dennis Hopper as Howard Payne is lightning in a bottle. Hopper’s work in the film brought a new appreciation to his work, allowed him to be seen in a new light, and led to further villain roles that went over the top, but were memorable. Hopper’s manic psychotic version of the angry Howard makes his villain deadly, if not impossible to beat.
The supporting cast with Jeff Daniels as Harry, Joe Morton as Lt. McMahon, Alan Ruck is a passenger on the bus, no matter where you are in the film, the supporting players from big names to the small roles are phenomenal.
The script by Graham Yost is another key piece of the puzzle that built this phenomenal movie into what it is. For the cast, they have an excellent story that is not so exhaustive that we know everything about each character, but we know enough to like, dislike, and connect with the people making up this film. How good is the script? I constantly think of how funny Carlos Carrasco, who plays the passenger Ortiz, is with Jack and how he reacts to the unfolding drama on the bus. Ortiz is genuine, and a seemingly throwaway part that Carrasco makes enduring thanks to his talent, and a great script.
This was Jan de Bont’s first feature film as a director. The man is a legend as a Cinematographer, and with Speed he proved that with practical effects and his own personal style could be a game changer behind the lens.
What Were They Thinking
This is a perfect film, and I have no complaints about Speed.
Backlot Knowledge
- The movie grossed over $14 million on its opening weekend in 1994.
- Sandra Bullock improvised the gum scene when she was trying to get away from Alan Ruck’s character Stephens on the bus.
- Apparently, Sandra Bullock learned to drive a bus for the film, passing her test on the first try.
- When Reeves leaps onto the bus, he accidentally breaks the glass on the door. Director Jan de Bont liked how it looked and kept it in the movie.
- Fox executives knew they had a possible hit, when they noticed audience members walking out to the bathroom backwards during the test screenings, so they wouldn’t miss any important details.
- The bus jump scene was a practical effect and shot twice. The bridge on the freeway was digitally erased.
- Reeves and Daniels did some preparatory training with LA SWAT to perfect their movements.
- 10 buses were used in the filming of the movie.
- Joss Whedon did a rewrite of the script, and it was this rewrite that reportedly enticed Reeves to sign on to the movie.
- The film was originally pitched and sold to Paramount, which put the script in turnaround, and led to it landing at 20th Century Fox. After the success of Speed, Yost was able to sell another script easily to Paramount, called The Flood, later retitled Hard Rain and starring Christian Slater, Morgan Freeman, and Randy Quaid.
- Keanu Reeves reportedly did almost ninety percent of his own stunts for the film.
- In an original draft of the script, the bus was supposed to circle Dodger Stadium and not LAX. Fox couldn’t get permission for Dodger Stadium, and de Bont thought the sequence was boring, so it was changed to LAX.
- Die Hard director John McTiernan was offered the film, but he turned it down. Multiple directors were offered the gig but scoffed at the film. Michael Bay reportedly tried to lobby for this film to be his first feature film as a director but was turned down by the studio.
- de Bont’s love for Stanley Kubrick has the filmmaker giving a nod to the beloved director in all his work. When the subway crashes in front of the Chinese Theatre, the film playing at the theatre is 2001: A Space Odyssey.
- The film was originally supposed to be released in August, but Fox executives felt the positive early reactions from test audiences elevated the film from a follow action movie to True Lies to its own event and provide an action alternative to The Flintstones.
- Halle Berry turned down the role of Annie and has no regrets about the decision.
- Craig T. Nelson was originally cast as Lt. McMahon but couldn’t get free from his Coach commitments, so the film went with James Cameron’s recommendation of Joe Morton. Cameron had worked with Morton on Terminator 2: Judgement Day.
- Richard Schiff, famous for his work on The West Wing, portrays the train operator.
- The name tag on Howard Payne’s uniform says Fisk. This was originally going to be the last name of the character.
- The movie was nominated for three Oscars and won two for Best Sound and Best Effects.
- The tagline for the film is ‘Get Ready for Rush Hour’.
Critical Response
{Snub-Skip this Film, Overexposed-Desperate for Something to Watch, Clapper-A Perfect Film For Any Device, Magic Hour– You Must Watch This Film on a Big Screen, Award Worthy– This Film is Cinema.}
Speed was an unexpected blockbuster that clicked on everything, from cast, to story, the director, and the special effects. It was an old-time disaster movie, that was parodied as a ‘Die Hard on a . . .’ type film that was successful in establishing itself as its own kind of film. Soon, movies would be referred to as ‘Speed on a . . .’. Blown Away, a Jeff Bridges action film, which was released later in the summer of 1994, was referenced as ‘Speed in a jeep’.
What makes Speed epic, is that it endures. A film that stands the test of time, entertains and delights the audience, and still manages to keep the viewers on the edge of their seat for the whole run time, is Award Worthy in my opinion. Speed is that one unicorn type of film, that when everything clicks, brilliance is captured.
I have thoroughly loved following the podcast 50 MPH as it chronicles the making of Speed. If you want an even deeper dive into how the movie was made and the magic and luck that happened in the making of the film, I strongly suggest you check out this incredible podcast.
Best Quotable Line
“Pop quiz hotshot. There’s a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes fifty miles an hour, the bomb is armed. If it drops below fifty, it bus blows up. What do you do?”
I love everything about the delivery of this line from Dennis Hopper to Keanu Reeves. It captures the film in a few short simple sentences.
Call Sheet
- Keanu Reeves as Jack Traven
- Sandra Bullock as Annie
- Dennis Hopper as Howard Payne
- Jeff Daniels as Harry
- Joe Morton as Lt. McMahon
Production Team:
Directed by Jan de Bont
Produced by 20th Century Fox, The Mark Gordon Company
Written by Graham Yost
Release Date: June 10, 1994
Budget: $30 million
Domestic Box Office Gross: $121,248,145
Coming Attractions
Next week, a look back at the Spike Lee crime drama, The 25th Hour.