True, the plot working at the heart of Speed is utterly ridiculous: a psychopathic ex-cop wires a bomb to a bus that will explode if it falls under 50mph. Keanu Reeves, likeable and completely flat in that special way that he can only can pull off, finds himself trapped on said bus, and along with Sandra Bullock must stop the bad thing from happening. Its dumb, but its also the stuff of Hollywood action movie brilliance a stupid premise that remains inherently exhilarating. Jan de Bont, who has made exactly good film over the span of his career (hint: its this one), seems to understand that Speed is best played as a B-movie, and allows the simple but undeniably electric premise to speak for itself. So we get goofy characters, goofy lines of dialogue, and impressively rendered action scenes that only the 90s can offer up. Dennis Hopper is appropriately hammy as the vengeful villain, and the explosions keep coming 'til the very last second; sure, Speed is pretty much one set-piece stacked on top of another, but it succeeds on pure, unabashed thrill factor alone.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
