Also under appreciated is getting to see Connor Roy being a man of the people on a bus in his early years. Especially when he pretended to be afraid for the benefit of the other passengers.
Alright, let me tell ya, one of my favorite scenes in Speed ain't necessarily the big action stuff, like jumping off buildings or dodging trains. It's actually a bit quieter, more personal. You know, right before they jump the bus? There's this moment where Jack Traven, played by Keanu Reeves, talks with the police chief, played by J.T. Walsh. The chief tells him about the bomb on the bus, real calm-like, almost like he's breaking bad news to a friend or family member. It's a small moment, but it really shows the depth of their relationship and the seriousness of what they're dealing with. That scene sticks with you because it's not just about the action; it's about the characters and their connection.
Absolutely. This is what propels a big action movie with an extremely silly premise into an excellent movie and a classic. You care about all the characters, even the bus passengers. There is real emotion and they're taking this dumb story deadly seriously. Take the bus driver from the very beginning. He gets like 25 seconds screen time but you immediately like him and care for him and totally buy his and Keanu's relationship and are emotionally affected by what happens. That's just a skilled filmmaker, writer, and cast coming together in perfect harmony.
Yeah I was listening to an Oral History Podcast about the making of “Speed” (50mph), they casted Daniels to give a Keanu a dramatic actor to play off with. Daniels had almost quit and stayed in Michigan after being in a slump… Speed and Dumb & Dumber (the movie he shot after) both within a year got him back on track and then “The Newsroom” took him to another orbit.
The Newsroom was almost 2 decades later. In that time he did Fly Away Home, Pleasantville, The Squid and the Whale, Goodnight and Good Luck, and Looper, just to name a few.
Yes yes yes bro. Anytime people bring this movie up, I always toss JD in the conversation. He added so much personality to an already powerful cast. Great call!!
But what about the lesser known sequel, "Speed Reader?"
"All right, hotshot, you think you're so smart? Read this book!"
"Bogus!"
"If you read less that 50 words per minute, the book explodes! Ready? Begin!"
"One...one...f...oh FISH! Two...f...f..."
"It's FISH, you idiot! FISH!"
"Whoops. Now I lost my place."
KABOOM!
"That was not a clip, that was the entire movie."
Something that doesn’t get talked about enough is Dennis Hopper. He’s a fantastic villain and were it not for him, a high concept “bus can’t stop” blockbuster might have been dull.
“It’s not going to hurt, Annie.”
I love how he just wants to get rich too. He throws in a bit of revenge against Keanu for foiling the elevator scheme but that’s a bonus more than his main aim. No grand plans to take over the world or force political change or seek vengeance against Jack and his entire family - he just wants a fat payday.
He was so good in this. I don't think the movie would have been half as good without Hopper as the villain (and I am a huge fan of this movie). 95% of his scenes are him talking on the phone, and he kills every one of them.
> a high concept “bus can’t stop”
On paper, it's probably one of the more ridiculous ideas for a movie.
Yet, it seems with the right director and perfect casting, it can be done and it becomes legendary.
Wasn't it "elevator can't stop, then the bus can't stop, then the train can't stop"? I don't fully remember, but vagually recall the movie being made of three different "speedy" scenarios one after the other...
> My 12 yo son didn’t wanna watch it and I said, watch the first 5 min and you can leave after.
To be fair, that's the target audience for these kinds of movies.
It was more, the elevator can't move. But yeah it's just three massive set-pieces back to back and they somehow made a story out of it. Super impressive
Keanu Reeves has re-vitalized and re-defined the action movie genre FOUR times:
Point Break
Speed
The Matrix
John Wick.
That is amazing, considering that major action stars like Bruce Willis did it only one or twice (Die Hard, The Fifth Element).
Gotta give a lot of credit to Kathryn Bigelow too for Point Break. Between that movie and Strange Days, that woman sure knew how to film damn good action sequences.
James Cameron was dating Bigelow after his divorce from Gale Anne Hurd and Bigelow took his crew from Aliens and made Near Dark. He wrote the story for Point Break and a treatment for Strange Days which I consider a sequel to Brainstorm and a prequel to Avatar.
There's a great column on AV Club called A History of Violence where the writer explores what he considers the most important action movies of each year, and he noted that Reeves had been the star of the most of these movies (for the four you mentioned). The only ones to come close where Schwarzenneggar and Chow Yun-Fat, at three each.
There's definitely conversations to be had about whose the best actor, who does the best stunts, etc., but the point he was trying to make was "who consistently picks the best *projects*", and while Cruise is definitely giving Keanu a run for it, Reeves shows a genuine passion for action filmmaking that's helped get some really inspired projects off the ground.
There wouldn't have been a "Speed" without "Die Hard," that's for sure. And it was definitely not as groundbreaking as "The Matrix." But it pumped new life into the genre at the time.
Yup. Neither did Point Break. And I fucking love Point Break. Something can just be a great film without it being claimed that it "revitalized" or "revolutionized" something. I'll give him The Matrix and John Wick though, undeniably.
Also, its centered on a platonic male-male bromance, which was groundbreaking for its genre at the time.
The 1st fast and the furious movie is literally just a beat for beat remake of point break with import car racers instead of surfers. The whole fast and furious series owes a lot to point break and bigelow and how she redefined male friendship onscreen in an action film.
It's not like it became a common thing though. I know Mimi Ledger did The Peacemaker and Deep Impact but I can't think of too many other examples immediately following Point Break.
Idk, angry smart bad guy controlling 'the game' making the protagonist try and figure out the puzzle to survive/save people. That matches Die Hard doesnt it?
Otherwise, as far as action movies in/on a vehicle: Everyones favorite actor Steven Seagal starred in Under Siege before Speed came out. Although a bus is more unique than a boat/plane I suppose.
Die Hard is about robbers taking over a building and one guy sneaking around trying to stop them. Speed is about trying to stop a bus from reaching 50 mph
I just don’t see the similarity.
Well if you want to get that specific then I guess the majority of action movies all did something different, while all still being action movies. There is a good amount of em taking place on a plane though, I've just realized.
Also for some reason I had the third Die Hard in mind (1995) where the plot does match up a lil closer. Still, I dont think Speed did anything way out of the ordinary. It just did vehicle action movie the right way, but on a bus.
Action movies in the 80's were all clones of Die Hard and Rambo. It was getting stale. Point Break was something new, it pumped life back into the action genre, and it spawned a slew of similar films right up to the Fast & the Furious franchise.
The platonic bromance that keanu and swayxe share is what the whole movie is centered on, swayze is legitimately heartbroken when finds out his new friend was a cop all along.
> considering that major action stars like Bruce Willis did it only one or twice
Die Hard
The Fifth Element
Sin City
Unbreakable
Lucky Number Slevin
16 Blocks
Ah yes can’t forget the monumental paradigm shift in filmography and action cinema brought about by such kinetic classics as 16 blocks and lucky number slevin 🤡.
Look, basically Die Hard is the only applicable one. Fifth Element was largely a sci-fi milestone, and the rest while perfectly solid enough action films, they were not at all what could be considered “revitalizing” or “re-defining”.
It's like they don't really understand what either of those words mean. And it feels like they haven't seen many movies either if they think 16 Blocks is the first movie to use something like a real time gimmick or to pay attention to things like spatial clarity. Or that Lucky Number Slevin is particularly clever lmao. Or even an action movie.
All good films, but I'm talking about action movies where he's the lead.
Unbreakable is not an action movie.
And as good as 16 Blocks was, I don't think it was a film that re-defined the action genre in any way. It didn't spawn a hundred copycats.
"Armageddon" might qualify.
Every time I watch this movie- and I watch it every few years so I've seen it a lot- I forget that this happens and it makes me so sad. I usually remember right as he's on his way to the house. I think as a child I memory wiped this moment from the fun bus that can't slow down movie.
I rewatched Speed about a month ago. My main take aways were:
1. The movie has a really great pace that moves from fun spot to fun spot non-stop. The script has flaws but still current screen writers could learn a thing or two from the efficiency of Speed's script.
2. Sandra Bullock is fantastic in her roll. She really holds the movie together and comes across as by far the best actor in the film.
Speed is the sort of movie that exists in a time before we had cinemasins
It doesn't make an ounce of sense and it's riddled with plot holes, but it's also perfect in its way.
It's also something I like to bring up anytime people complain about how "critics are out of touch/too critical": it has a 96% on rotten tomatoes. Two takeaways from that: 1) true criticism is *not* Cinemasins-level plot-hole bitching, 2) most popcorn movies are not Speed
It was from a time where every person watching wasn't a critic and could actually suspend disbelief. Today everyone overanalyzes every goddamn thing and if it's not perfect in every single way it's a shitty film. I was in my twenties and must have seen that film 4 or 5 times in the theater when it came out, it was that entertaining.
They actually launched a bus off an unfinished overpass to film that scene. All practical effects.
Plus Sandra Bullock post *Demolition Man* just solidified her awesomeness (and frankly cuteness).
I really like films that don't feel the need to explain everything for half an hour before anything can start. Films like speed just begun with something mental and as an audience we all go "yeah okay, carry on"
If the movie pulls you in where you have no time to think about plot holes then they don't matter to much, the most recent example of this could be the first pacific rim. When you think about it there are some things that make no sense, but when you're watching the movie you don't think about it because the movie knows what it is and it's entertaining
The bigger issue is that most of what people seem to think are plot holes these days are not plot holes, even in the context of something like Speed. Something isn't a "plot hole" because it doesn't adhere to real world logic, like in the case of your Pacific Rim example.
Robots punching monsters? Sign me up. I want to watch. I want to enjoy. Just don’t do anything too stupid and I will cut you a lot of slack.
I just need something plausible to suspend my disbelief.
It's kind of a bummer that Jan de Bont could never direct a film this good again. The guy was the cinematographer for some action classics, so he was primed for directing. And then his first film is an absolute action classic. But afterwards, his filmography is spotty at best. The other decent film he made was Twister, but he also made Speed 2, The Haunting, and the second Tomb Raider film. That's a surprisingly bad run.
Isn't that a writing issue rather than a directing issue? The only one of his movies that he has written was *Speed 2,* and there he got a *story* credit, so he didn't actually write the script.
Conversely, the writer Graham Yost has gone on to do a TON of great stuff in both writing and producing/showrunning, including Justified and The Americans.
*Twister* and *The Haunting* were awesome and considered family favorites from my first marriage. And I quite enjoyed the second *Tomb Raider*. It was the late 90s, popcorn cheeseflix like these were the best!
That being said, *Speed 2* was a really bad idea!
*NO! Poor people are crazy, Jack. I'm eccentric.*
Dennis Hopper had the most awesome zingers in that film
*A bomb is made to explode. That's its meaning. Its purpose. Your life is empty because you spend it trying to stop the bomb from becoming. And for who? For what? Do you know what a bomb is, Jack, that doesn't explode? It is a cheap gold watch, buddy.*
"You sure? Well how far?! Sir, uh, we have a serious problem."
"What?"
"This freeway isn't finished."
"What are you talking about?"
"The aerial unit caught it, about three miles ahead, there's a section missing."
"Section missing... but it's on the map! It's finished, it's on the goddamned map!"
"I guess they fell behind!"
"Fuck. You're fired! Everybody's fucking fired!"
God both of those actors are so good in that movie. The captain commands such respect but he's also brimming with empathy. The panic of the guy on the map is pitched so perfectly too. I love how that moment comes completely out of the blue too
Not really, *Speed* was his post Bill & Ted breakout role, and *Johnny Mnemonic* was a unique follow up exploiting the dawn of the digital age before he really exploded with *The Matrix* a few years later.
Very fair point, but I'd have to argue it was really Patrick Swayze who earned the "action star" title for that one. It definitely put Reeve's on the road, but it was *Speed* that really put him on the map for action, especially since it earned 5 times the money of *Point Break* and he was the leading man.
She was on an episode of the Office Ladies podcast that was all about the movie Speed. Pretty entertaining with a little bit of behind the scenes info.
Speed was and remains one of my most favourite movies, it had thrill and Sandra Bullock, the scenes are imprinted in my mind and even my mom knows its one of my favourite movies lol
It's one of the best mixes of humor and white-knuckle tension I've seen in a mainstream action film. Usually they lean one way or the other but Speed manages to keep up its tension even while having a lot of legit laughs through its duration
"Fuck me!"
"....... oh darn"
The comedic moments are not just hilarious but used to great effect to break up the tension. It's not going for quips every minute like modern comic book movies. It's a serious story that sprinkled with laughs and it's perfect
The reason it works is because the characters aren't just filler, you care for the characters, and it's well directed but also Sandra Bullock played a big part. Some might say Bullock overshadowed Keanu Reeves. She elevated a above average Wesley Snipes actioner into a classic.
I'll never forget going and seeing it in the theatres, for the cheap afternoon matinee, and then when I got home after it was over, the OJ Simpson chase was on tv, and I was like, 'I \*just\* watched this...'
I was obsessed with that movie as a teenager, lol. Keanu has never looked better.
An interesting article about the making of the movie, with some content regarding the "bus characters" having their roles chopped down to more or less stereotypes: [https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/speed-20th-anniversary-meet-the-passengers-of-bus-88378946207.html](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/speed-20th-anniversary-meet-the-passengers-of-bus-88378946207.html)
First time I fingered a girl was watching this movie in her parents living room, while them and their friends played bridge in the kitchen. Funny, her dad wouldn't let us go up stairs and hangout.
30 years? Wow, I am old. Still remember watching this in the theater with my friends. Walked out of the theater thinking this was one of the best movies I had ever watched.
Saw it on VHS rented from Blockbuster with my dad. I was probably a bit young to watch it, but it was the 90’s, so whatever. Absolute classic action film for me.
> How Keanu on a Bus Became an Action Movie Classic
Non-stop marketing. They were pushing it being a sleeper these huge bus stunts. You *could not* escape posters and marketing for it. It was also at a time when they'd run these "making of" featurettes on HBO for like a month leading up to the movie's release. I remember them doing that with Dracula, too.
Being from LA, I always loved how this film was likely the first ever movie appreance of the Los Angeles Metro subway (which was pretty new at the time).
Hard to believe Speed is 30 now. I can remember being a kid and watching it on HBO or Cinemax at the time. Fun action movie that really doesn't disappoint at any time. Is it something wild and new? Not necessarily, but just a solid action flick. It's incredible to realize how long Keanu has been acting now too and able to resurrect his career every few years.
Pop Quiz: how to make a good action flick:
Take a straightforward but well executed concept, throw actors in it who fit the roles and give a shit (Keenau did a lot of physical work for the role), and have a director who gets how to keep an audience engaged without getting retarded.
Press 'execute'.
If they can manage to keep it filled with relatively low-tech, practical action, and filled it with great side moments with memorable side characters, Hollywood could absolutely knock it out of the park with a Speed 3 by bringing Keanu and Sandra Bullock back.
It would have to be extremely well made. Like Top Gun Maverick levels of care.
Joss Whedon wrote 90% of the dialogue plus the final act. Back when his whippy dialogue was refreshing and we'd no clue about his creepiness as a person 🤮
Under appreciated aspect of this film. Jeff Daniels. He takes a minor role, adds personality to it, and we feel gutted when he gets killed off
Also under appreciated is getting to see Connor Roy being a man of the people on a bus in his early years. Especially when he pretended to be afraid for the benefit of the other passengers.
Cameron really toughed up after kicking the car.
I've already BEEN to the airport :(
Oh darn
Fuck ***me***!
Alright, let me tell ya, one of my favorite scenes in Speed ain't necessarily the big action stuff, like jumping off buildings or dodging trains. It's actually a bit quieter, more personal. You know, right before they jump the bus? There's this moment where Jack Traven, played by Keanu Reeves, talks with the police chief, played by J.T. Walsh. The chief tells him about the bomb on the bus, real calm-like, almost like he's breaking bad news to a friend or family member. It's a small moment, but it really shows the depth of their relationship and the seriousness of what they're dealing with. That scene sticks with you because it's not just about the action; it's about the characters and their connection.
Absolutely. This is what propels a big action movie with an extremely silly premise into an excellent movie and a classic. You care about all the characters, even the bus passengers. There is real emotion and they're taking this dumb story deadly seriously. Take the bus driver from the very beginning. He gets like 25 seconds screen time but you immediately like him and care for him and totally buy his and Keanu's relationship and are emotionally affected by what happens. That's just a skilled filmmaker, writer, and cast coming together in perfect harmony.
JT Walsh isn’t in speed. You’re thinking of Joe Morton. And yeah Joss Whedon did an uncredited rewrite of all the dialogue for speed.
Yeah I was listening to an Oral History Podcast about the making of “Speed” (50mph), they casted Daniels to give a Keanu a dramatic actor to play off with. Daniels had almost quit and stayed in Michigan after being in a slump… Speed and Dumb & Dumber (the movie he shot after) both within a year got him back on track and then “The Newsroom” took him to another orbit.
The Newsroom was almost 2 decades later. In that time he did Fly Away Home, Pleasantville, The Squid and the Whale, Goodnight and Good Luck, and Looper, just to name a few.
Yeah but then Dumb & Dumber To took him out of the stratosphere
Don't forget 101 Dalmatians in 1996
Yes yes yes bro. Anytime people bring this movie up, I always toss JD in the conversation. He added so much personality to an already powerful cast. Great call!!
Chin quiver kambooooopm
I can't believe they gave you a medal for shooting me, you little prick! Harry, *you told me* to shoot you
hey i haven't watched it yet!😂
Absolutely LOVE *The Bus That Couldn’t Slow Down*! Whenever it’s on TV or I catch it streaming I can’t help but watch it.
I used to call it "Speed Bus" when I was a kid, lol.
I thought it was a speeding bus?
*Excuse me. Homer, are you finished borrowing my TV set yet?*
Great movie, second only to Billy and the Cloneasaurus.
It's Speed 2, on a bus
But what about the lesser known sequel, "Speed Reader?" "All right, hotshot, you think you're so smart? Read this book!" "Bogus!" "If you read less that 50 words per minute, the book explodes! Ready? Begin!" "One...one...f...oh FISH! Two...f...f..." "It's FISH, you idiot! FISH!" "Whoops. Now I lost my place." KABOOM! "That was not a clip, that was the entire movie."
"It Stinks!" - Jay Sherman
Something that doesn’t get talked about enough is Dennis Hopper. He’s a fantastic villain and were it not for him, a high concept “bus can’t stop” blockbuster might have been dull. “It’s not going to hurt, Annie.”
I love how he just wants to get rich too. He throws in a bit of revenge against Keanu for foiling the elevator scheme but that’s a bonus more than his main aim. No grand plans to take over the world or force political change or seek vengeance against Jack and his entire family - he just wants a fat payday.
> he just wants a fat payday. Can't blame him, he did get a lousy pension and a cheap gold watch for retirement.
Very similar to Hans Gruber in that regard. For all his theatrics, he ultimate just wants his money.
You’re crazy! No, poor people are crazy Jack. I’m Eccentric.
Hallelujah, what a payday!
He was so good in this. I don't think the movie would have been half as good without Hopper as the villain (and I am a huge fan of this movie). 95% of his scenes are him talking on the phone, and he kills every one of them.
> a high concept “bus can’t stop” On paper, it's probably one of the more ridiculous ideas for a movie. Yet, it seems with the right director and perfect casting, it can be done and it becomes legendary.
Wasn't it "elevator can't stop, then the bus can't stop, then the train can't stop"? I don't fully remember, but vagually recall the movie being made of three different "speedy" scenarios one after the other...
Suspense from the 1st moment.
Yep. My 12 yo son didn’t wanna watch it and I said, watch the first 5 min and you can leave after. LOL He was hooked. :)
> My 12 yo son didn’t wanna watch it and I said, watch the first 5 min and you can leave after. To be fair, that's the target audience for these kinds of movies.
I guess, but that’s not what I was explaining. I was talking about the opening scene knowing it would hook him
It was more, the elevator can't move. But yeah it's just three massive set-pieces back to back and they somehow made a story out of it. Super impressive
Also as “Mad” as he is… he’s smart and mostly a step ahead of Reeves up until the end
Keanu Reeves has re-vitalized and re-defined the action movie genre FOUR times: Point Break Speed The Matrix John Wick. That is amazing, considering that major action stars like Bruce Willis did it only one or twice (Die Hard, The Fifth Element).
Gotta give a lot of credit to Kathryn Bigelow too for Point Break. Between that movie and Strange Days, that woman sure knew how to film damn good action sequences.
That poster of strange days.... soooo fucking good and mysterious 👀 i love it!
James Cameron was dating Bigelow after his divorce from Gale Anne Hurd and Bigelow took his crew from Aliens and made Near Dark. He wrote the story for Point Break and a treatment for Strange Days which I consider a sequel to Brainstorm and a prequel to Avatar.
Absolute *The Lake House* erasure
I knew I missed one!
But would you say a niche/novelty premise actually REDEFINES the action movie genre?
There's a great column on AV Club called A History of Violence where the writer explores what he considers the most important action movies of each year, and he noted that Reeves had been the star of the most of these movies (for the four you mentioned). The only ones to come close where Schwarzenneggar and Chow Yun-Fat, at three each. There's definitely conversations to be had about whose the best actor, who does the best stunts, etc., but the point he was trying to make was "who consistently picks the best *projects*", and while Cruise is definitely giving Keanu a run for it, Reeves shows a genuine passion for action filmmaking that's helped get some really inspired projects off the ground.
> There's a great column on AV Club called A History of Violence […] * https://www.avclub.com/film/features/a-history-of-violence
Speed didn’t re-define action movies. It was ‘Die Hard on a Bus’ at the time. It’s fun, but not a watershed movie or anything.
There wouldn't have been a "Speed" without "Die Hard," that's for sure. And it was definitely not as groundbreaking as "The Matrix." But it pumped new life into the genre at the time.
Yup. Neither did Point Break. And I fucking love Point Break. Something can just be a great film without it being claimed that it "revitalized" or "revolutionized" something. I'll give him The Matrix and John Wick though, undeniably.
Point Break changed the narrative on women directing action films; it’s important, even if it not for Keanu
Also, its centered on a platonic male-male bromance, which was groundbreaking for its genre at the time. The 1st fast and the furious movie is literally just a beat for beat remake of point break with import car racers instead of surfers. The whole fast and furious series owes a lot to point break and bigelow and how she redefined male friendship onscreen in an action film.
It's not like it became a common thing though. I know Mimi Ledger did The Peacemaker and Deep Impact but I can't think of too many other examples immediately following Point Break.
Speed is nothing like Die Hard. Why do people keep claiming it is?
Idk, angry smart bad guy controlling 'the game' making the protagonist try and figure out the puzzle to survive/save people. That matches Die Hard doesnt it? Otherwise, as far as action movies in/on a vehicle: Everyones favorite actor Steven Seagal starred in Under Siege before Speed came out. Although a bus is more unique than a boat/plane I suppose.
Hans gruber was in no way angry. Dude was in control of himself and his people right until the end.
Die Hard is about robbers taking over a building and one guy sneaking around trying to stop them. Speed is about trying to stop a bus from reaching 50 mph I just don’t see the similarity.
Well if you want to get that specific then I guess the majority of action movies all did something different, while all still being action movies. There is a good amount of em taking place on a plane though, I've just realized. Also for some reason I had the third Die Hard in mind (1995) where the plot does match up a lil closer. Still, I dont think Speed did anything way out of the ordinary. It just did vehicle action movie the right way, but on a bus.
Not sure why I am thumbed down. Speed is obviously more influenced by the Japanese film Bullet Train. Not Die Hard
Point break was the bank robber movie right? If so, that was a good one.
voiceless paint oatmeal gray capable dolls marry hat exultant agonizing *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Action movies in the 80's were all clones of Die Hard and Rambo. It was getting stale. Point Break was something new, it pumped life back into the action genre, and it spawned a slew of similar films right up to the Fast & the Furious franchise.
The platonic bromance that keanu and swayxe share is what the whole movie is centered on, swayze is legitimately heartbroken when finds out his new friend was a cop all along.
As Mount Rushmore's of action films go. That's hard to beat by any other actor.
I’d argue Bill and Ted was an action movie too!
I'm sitting here trying to think of someone else, but man, you're right! Whoa.
> considering that major action stars like Bruce Willis did it only one or twice Die Hard The Fifth Element Sin City Unbreakable Lucky Number Slevin 16 Blocks
Ah yes can’t forget the monumental paradigm shift in filmography and action cinema brought about by such kinetic classics as 16 blocks and lucky number slevin 🤡.
Look, basically Die Hard is the only applicable one. Fifth Element was largely a sci-fi milestone, and the rest while perfectly solid enough action films, they were not at all what could be considered “revitalizing” or “re-defining”.
It's like they don't really understand what either of those words mean. And it feels like they haven't seen many movies either if they think 16 Blocks is the first movie to use something like a real time gimmick or to pay attention to things like spatial clarity. Or that Lucky Number Slevin is particularly clever lmao. Or even an action movie.
Oh hey, it's an honor to make a comment so controversial you wanna start a side circle jerk making fun of how ignorant the strawman you've created is.
Doesn't know what a strawman argument is either, it seems.
All good films, but I'm talking about action movies where he's the lead. Unbreakable is not an action movie. And as good as 16 Blocks was, I don't think it was a film that re-defined the action genre in any way. It didn't spawn a hundred copycats. "Armageddon" might qualify.
Yeah… he did it twice
Felt so damn bad for Jeff Daniels' character in this. One of the best "I'm screwed" moments in film history.
I always thought this was the most impactful moment in the movie Jeff Daniels is a hell of an actor with tremendous range
He was in *Dumb & Dumber* that same year.
Interview clip where he talks specifically about that face: https://youtu.be/2wqTpYdyvgo?si=OWBFtWwPdhmoGu0m
Every time I watch this movie- and I watch it every few years so I've seen it a lot- I forget that this happens and it makes me so sad. I usually remember right as he's on his way to the house. I think as a child I memory wiped this moment from the fun bus that can't slow down movie.
I rewatched Speed about a month ago. My main take aways were: 1. The movie has a really great pace that moves from fun spot to fun spot non-stop. The script has flaws but still current screen writers could learn a thing or two from the efficiency of Speed's script. 2. Sandra Bullock is fantastic in her roll. She really holds the movie together and comes across as by far the best actor in the film.
Speed is the sort of movie that exists in a time before we had cinemasins It doesn't make an ounce of sense and it's riddled with plot holes, but it's also perfect in its way. It's also something I like to bring up anytime people complain about how "critics are out of touch/too critical": it has a 96% on rotten tomatoes. Two takeaways from that: 1) true criticism is *not* Cinemasins-level plot-hole bitching, 2) most popcorn movies are not Speed
It was from a time where every person watching wasn't a critic and could actually suspend disbelief. Today everyone overanalyzes every goddamn thing and if it's not perfect in every single way it's a shitty film. I was in my twenties and must have seen that film 4 or 5 times in the theater when it came out, it was that entertaining. They actually launched a bus off an unfinished overpass to film that scene. All practical effects. Plus Sandra Bullock post *Demolition Man* just solidified her awesomeness (and frankly cuteness).
Apparently during test screenings people walked out of the theater backwards when going to the bathroom in order to not miss anything
I really like films that don't feel the need to explain everything for half an hour before anything can start. Films like speed just begun with something mental and as an audience we all go "yeah okay, carry on"
What are the 'plot holes' in *Speed?*
How about a large bus treadmill
If the movie pulls you in where you have no time to think about plot holes then they don't matter to much, the most recent example of this could be the first pacific rim. When you think about it there are some things that make no sense, but when you're watching the movie you don't think about it because the movie knows what it is and it's entertaining
The bigger issue is that most of what people seem to think are plot holes these days are not plot holes, even in the context of something like Speed. Something isn't a "plot hole" because it doesn't adhere to real world logic, like in the case of your Pacific Rim example.
A lot of people seem to think that 'plot hole' means 'aspect of the movie I didn't understand' or 'aspect of the movie I didn't like.'
CinemaSins did a number on online movie discourse lol.
Robots punching monsters? Sign me up. I want to watch. I want to enjoy. Just don’t do anything too stupid and I will cut you a lot of slack. I just need something plausible to suspend my disbelief.
Yes, a thousand percent yes on both points
I just watched it with my 10yo, love: * A lot of suspense, thrill, action * Not a lot of gun, violence
"Its like Speed 2...but on a bus!"
Starting with an elevator, then the bus, then a train.
It's kind of a bummer that Jan de Bont could never direct a film this good again. The guy was the cinematographer for some action classics, so he was primed for directing. And then his first film is an absolute action classic. But afterwards, his filmography is spotty at best. The other decent film he made was Twister, but he also made Speed 2, The Haunting, and the second Tomb Raider film. That's a surprisingly bad run.
At some point, the characters need to open their mouths, and have sounds come out. Even in Twister, not his strong suit clearly.
Isn't that a writing issue rather than a directing issue? The only one of his movies that he has written was *Speed 2,* and there he got a *story* credit, so he didn't actually write the script.
I mean yes, but a good director needs to recognize good writing at a certain point.
Having Joss Whedon punch up the dialogue in Speed is basically cheating.
Conversely, the writer Graham Yost has gone on to do a TON of great stuff in both writing and producing/showrunning, including Justified and The Americans.
Joss Whedon too. He did a ton of uncredited writing on it.
You are all over this post making sure Whedon gets his due, why is that?
*Twister* and *The Haunting* were awesome and considered family favorites from my first marriage. And I quite enjoyed the second *Tomb Raider*. It was the late 90s, popcorn cheeseflix like these were the best! That being said, *Speed 2* was a really bad idea!
I have a Speed tattoo, I am unreasonably into this movie haha fucking brutal that it’s 30, im gonna die soon huh?
Dude, we need to see this tattoo. Can't leave us hanging like that
https://imgur.com/a/cvXUEU7
Fuckin beautiful
Haha thanks big dawg
If it’s any consolation, we’re all gonna die
Pop quiz hotshot
You got a hair trigger pointed at your head.
*NO! Poor people are crazy, Jack. I'm eccentric.* Dennis Hopper had the most awesome zingers in that film *A bomb is made to explode. That's its meaning. Its purpose. Your life is empty because you spend it trying to stop the bomb from becoming. And for who? For what? Do you know what a bomb is, Jack, that doesn't explode? It is a cheap gold watch, buddy.*
Dialogue written by an uncredited Joss Whedon.
My brother and I have said this to each other ever since the movie came out. It's probably our very first "thing".
"You sure? Well how far?! Sir, uh, we have a serious problem." "What?" "This freeway isn't finished." "What are you talking about?" "The aerial unit caught it, about three miles ahead, there's a section missing." "Section missing... but it's on the map! It's finished, it's on the goddamned map!" "I guess they fell behind!" "Fuck. You're fired! Everybody's fucking fired!"
God both of those actors are so good in that movie. The captain commands such respect but he's also brimming with empathy. The panic of the guy on the map is pitched so perfectly too. I love how that moment comes completely out of the blue too
How can a freeway finish
...and then his next movie was Johnny Mnemonic!
[удалено]
Not really, *Speed* was his post Bill & Ted breakout role, and *Johnny Mnemonic* was a unique follow up exploiting the dawn of the digital age before he really exploded with *The Matrix* a few years later.
Point Break was a big hit for him in 1991 after Bill and Ted, 3 years before Speed :)
Very fair point, but I'd have to argue it was really Patrick Swayze who earned the "action star" title for that one. It definitely put Reeve's on the road, but it was *Speed* that really put him on the map for action, especially since it earned 5 times the money of *Point Break* and he was the leading man.
Reeves has a career arc of multiple hills where he has a smash hit, a string of less well regarded films, and then another smash hit.
I loved that movie.
Also one of the best catchphrases. “Yea? Well I’m *taller*”
Which I still don’t get, tbh..
He's taller than Dennis hopper because Dennis got decapitated
That's the best thing he could think of for a one liner because of the adrenaline dump, that's my head canon
He'd just gotten shorter by roughly one head, since his head had just been chopped off. I think you're probably overthinking this.
Yeah I might be overthinking it, because Keanu was already taller than Dennis before so it just didn’t make sense to me lmao
What happens to Dennis hopper before he says that?
"I'm smarter than you, I'm *smarter* than you"
Saw it in theaters last month and it was a blast. The crowd was super into too which made it a lot more fun.
I went to church with a lady in the bus. She’s chill
She's been in a few things here and there over the years, if you mean the woman who tried to leave the bus early.
She was on an episode of the Office Ladies podcast that was all about the movie Speed. Pretty entertaining with a little bit of behind the scenes info.
Speed was and remains one of my most favourite movies, it had thrill and Sandra Bullock, the scenes are imprinted in my mind and even my mom knows its one of my favourite movies lol
I rewatched this a few months ago with my teen son. It holds up. Banger of a movie.
It's one of the best mixes of humor and white-knuckle tension I've seen in a mainstream action film. Usually they lean one way or the other but Speed manages to keep up its tension even while having a lot of legit laughs through its duration
"Fuck me!" "....... oh darn" The comedic moments are not just hilarious but used to great effect to break up the tension. It's not going for quips every minute like modern comic book movies. It's a serious story that sprinkled with laughs and it's perfect
It was like Speed 2, but with a bus.
The reason it works is because the characters aren't just filler, you care for the characters, and it's well directed but also Sandra Bullock played a big part. Some might say Bullock overshadowed Keanu Reeves. She elevated a above average Wesley Snipes actioner into a classic.
“Jesus, Bob, what button did you push?”
I'll never forget going and seeing it in the theatres, for the cheap afternoon matinee, and then when I got home after it was over, the OJ Simpson chase was on tv, and I was like, 'I \*just\* watched this...'
Really wild that Keanu drove a white Bronco right at the beginning to catch up to the bus too.
I was obsessed with that movie as a teenager, lol. Keanu has never looked better. An interesting article about the making of the movie, with some content regarding the "bus characters" having their roles chopped down to more or less stereotypes: [https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/speed-20th-anniversary-meet-the-passengers-of-bus-88378946207.html](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/speed-20th-anniversary-meet-the-passengers-of-bus-88378946207.html)
Dennis Hopper is a great villain in this movie. Pop quiz hot shot
My favorite line: “Yo! Gargantua! Gimme a hand!”
Ortiz!
First time I fingered a girl was watching this movie in her parents living room, while them and their friends played bridge in the kitchen. Funny, her dad wouldn't let us go up stairs and hangout.
Give me good news man
Oh, I'm sorry, Jack. He didn't make it.
I learned from this film that Keanu Reeves is taller than Dennis Hopper
At least if Dennis Hopper was decapitated by a light on the top of a subway tunnel.
Some people say that Speed is just Die Hard in a bus. I like to think that Die Hard is Speed in a building.
30 years? Wow, I am old. Still remember watching this in the theater with my friends. Walked out of the theater thinking this was one of the best movies I had ever watched.
Saw it on VHS rented from Blockbuster with my dad. I was probably a bit young to watch it, but it was the 90’s, so whatever. Absolute classic action film for me.
Hey we got all the balls in the world in this sub man!!
> How Keanu on a Bus Became an Action Movie Classic Non-stop marketing. They were pushing it being a sleeper these huge bus stunts. You *could not* escape posters and marketing for it. It was also at a time when they'd run these "making of" featurettes on HBO for like a month leading up to the movie's release. I remember them doing that with Dracula, too.
Being from LA, I always loved how this film was likely the first ever movie appreance of the Los Angeles Metro subway (which was pretty new at the time).
Speed 3 is still doable with Keanu and Sandra. It’s not too late.
given how both of them have aged, you could set it like 3 days after the original and it would still look fine.
I think it was called “the bus that couldn’t slow down” I still say “pop quiz hot shot”
There cans..there just cans..
Actual tragedy was saved for Annie's fellow passenger who liked the bus, and then Harry.
I thought this was called "The Bus That Couldn't Slow Down"
Best character is the train light.
Cool movie. I wanted to revisit it 30 years later.
Watched this last week. Def fucks. Holds up.
Hard to believe Speed is 30 now. I can remember being a kid and watching it on HBO or Cinemax at the time. Fun action movie that really doesn't disappoint at any time. Is it something wild and new? Not necessarily, but just a solid action flick. It's incredible to realize how long Keanu has been acting now too and able to resurrect his career every few years.
It’s Die Hard on a bus but it probably is the best Die Hard inspired film of the 90’s, of which there were many.
This is one of my favourite films. Watched it again just the other day
First DVD I bought
We’re at the airport…
1994. The year Jeff Daniels was "Harry" in multiple films
It was just a damn good, entertaining, fun, film. Think also The Professional came out the same year; good year for action flicks.
A perfect movie with nonstop action!
Watched it last year, movie holds up so damn well. It’s a great piece of action cinema. A true classic.
Alan Ruck steals the show, if you ask me.
Pop Quiz: how to make a good action flick: Take a straightforward but well executed concept, throw actors in it who fit the roles and give a shit (Keenau did a lot of physical work for the role), and have a director who gets how to keep an audience engaged without getting retarded. Press 'execute'.
If they can manage to keep it filled with relatively low-tech, practical action, and filled it with great side moments with memorable side characters, Hollywood could absolutely knock it out of the park with a Speed 3 by bringing Keanu and Sandra Bullock back. It would have to be extremely well made. Like Top Gun Maverick levels of care.
Does Keanu Reeves really still get royalties from this movie?
Speed 3 is still the best Speed.
Ted! You forgot your brick.
Nope, Amphetamine is
i used to take a bus from nyc to rhode island. occasionally they would show movies on the bus. one time the movie was speed.
Joss Whedon wrote 90% of the dialogue plus the final act. Back when his whippy dialogue was refreshing and we'd no clue about his creepiness as a person 🤮
The Swedish title of this movie is Fart.
Classic?
Bonafide