SPEED (1994)

MORGAN'S RATING

Hold on tight for a rush of pulse-pounding thrills, breathtaking stunts and unexpected romance in a film you'll want to see again and again. Keanu Reeves stars as an L.A.P.D. SWAT team specialist who is sent to diffuse a bomb that a revenge-driven extortionist has planted on a city bus. But until he does, one of the passengers must keep the bus speeding through the streets of Los Angeles at more than 50 miles per hour -- or the bomb will explode. A high-octane chase of suspense, nonstop action and surprise twists, Speed is a joyride sure to keep you on the edge of your seat!

Keanu Reeves (Officer Jack Traven), Dennis Hopper (Howard Payne), Sandra Bullock (Annie Porter), Joe Morton (Lt. Herb 'Mac' McMahon), Jeff Daniels (Det. Harold 'Harry' Temple), Alan Ruck (Stephens), Glenn Plummer (Maurice), Richard Lineback (Norwood), Beth Grant (Helen), Hawthorne James (Sam), Carlos Carrasco (Ortiz), David Kriegel (Terry), Natsuko Ohama (Mrs. Kamino), Daniel Villarreal (Ray), Simone Gad, Loretta Jean Crudup, Sherri Villanueva (Bus Passengers), Margaret Medina (Robin), Jordan Lund (Mr. Bagwell), Robert Mailhouse (Young Executive), Patrick Fischler (Young Executive's Friend), Patrick John Hurley (CEO), Susan Barnes (Female Executive), Richard Dano (SWAT Driver), Michael Sottile (SWAT Officer), Jane Crawley, Anne O'Sullivan (Women with Baby Carriages), Beau Starr (Commissioner), John Capodice (Bob), Thomas Rosales Jr. (Vince), James DuMont (Security Guard), Antonio Mora, Patty Toy (News Anchors), Todd Gordon (News Cameraman), Bruce Wright, Mark Kriski, Dagny Hultgreen (Reporters), Richard Schiff (Train Driver), Joseph Carberry (Cop), Sandy Martin (Bartender), Neisha Folkes-LeMelle).

GET READY FOR RUSH HOUR.

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

DIRECTOR: Jan De Bont (LC:TR: The Cradle of Life). WRITER: Graham Yost. PRODUCER: Mark Gordon. CO-PRODUCER: Allison Lyon Segan. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Ian Bryce. ORIGINAL MUSIC: Mark Mancina and John Van Tongeren (additional music). DISTRIBUTOR: 20th Century Fox

FACTS

RELEASE DATE: June 10th, 1994 (USA) BOX OFFICE OPENING: $14.4 ?million (USA) BOX OFFICE RESULT: $121.2 million (USA) WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE: $283.2 million BUDGET: $30 million (USA) - Originally written with the intention that Jeff Bridges would play the role of Jack and Ellen DeGeneres would play the role of Annie. DeGeneres was initially chosen because the role of Annie was going to be a comedic one opposite a serious role of Jack. - Jack's sidekick Harry was originally going to be played by Ed Harris, and in this version was going to be revealed as the mad bomber. When Harris opted out and Jeff Daniels signed, the producers felt that the audience would not accept the sudden twist in character so Harry was kept as a good guy throughout and the mad bomber was written as a separate character. - Halle Berry turned down the role of Annie. - At various points in the movie's pre-production, the role of Jack was said to have been offered to: Stephen Baldwin, William Baldwin, Johnny Depp, Bruce Willis, Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks. - The birds flying through the gap in the freeway were digitally added special effects. - 12 buses were used, including two which exploded; one for the freeway jump; one for high-speed scenes; and one used solely for 'under bus' shots. - The bus jump scene was done twice, as the bus landed too smoothly the first time. The bridge was actualyl there, but erased digitally. - Script doctor Joss Whedon rewrote the script uncredited. According to Whedon, the Alan Ruck character (Stephens) was originally written as an abrasive lawyer, who gets his comeuppance in an unexpected death scene. Whedon re-wrote him as the sympathetic, dull-witted tourist of the final version, but kept the death scene, intending to give it more emotional impact. His character changes were kept, but the death was written out. - Filmed on location on LA's 105 freeway before it was opened to the public. - Glenn Plummer's driver's license was taken away two days before his scene was scheduled to be filmed. - Keanu Reeves breaking the glass on the bus door in the beginning of the movie was an accident, however it was left in the final cut. - The 1/8 scale subway cars used for the station crash in the finale are later used in the film The Ice Storm (1997). - Paramount optioned the script first, in 1992, but did not proceed with it. - Nominated for one Academy Award for Best Film Editing. Also won two Academy Awards for Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing. - Followed by a sequel: Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997).

QUOTES

Howard: Jack, nothing tricky now. You know I'm on top of you! Do NOT attempt to grown a brain!

Jack: Harry, there's enough C-4 on this thing to put a hole in the world!

Jack: It's a game. If he gets the money he wins, if the bus blows up he wins. Annie: What if you win? Jack: Then tomorrow we'll play another one. Annie: But I'm not available to drive tomorrow. Busy.

Ortiz: Just keep it steady. Annie: Oh, thanks for the tip, Ortiz.

Howard: See, I'm in charge here! I drop this stick, and they pick your friend here up with a sponge! Are you ready to die, friend?

Jack: You're crazy! You're fuckin' crazy! Howard: NO! Poor people are crazy, Jack. I'm eccentric.

Cop: Anything else that'll keep this elevator from falling? Jack: Yeah. The basement.

Harry: All right, pop quiz. Airport. Gunman with one hostage. He's using her for cover; he's almost to a plane. You're a hundred feet away. Jack? Jack: Shoot the hostage.

Howard: Pop quiz, hotshot. There's a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles an hour, the bomb is armed. If it drops below 50, it blows up. What do you do? What do you do?

Harry: Guts'll get you so far, then they'll get you killed.

CRITICAL COMMENTS

"Hang on for a wild and crazy ride." -- Pia Lindstrom, WNBC-TV

"Filled with plenty of chills and thrills; it speaks to the modern mania for velocity." -- Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Health

"In each sequence is packed the sum thrills of a Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal starrer combined." -- Bill Chambers, Film Freak Central

"...one of the best action films of all time." -- David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews