Speed (1994)

Keanu Reeves. Say it again with me. KEANU REEVES. God among men. The salt of the Earth and a pillar of salt. Speed has its two feet firmly placed in the 90s. Dennis Hopper plays a very odd villain (as Hopper is wont to do) whose elevator-bomb-ransom scheme is thwarted by hothead Keanu and partner Jeff Daniels. Hopper decides to play a game of wits with Keanu in retaliation by placing a bomb on a bus, which arms when the bus reaches 50mph and detonates if it drops below 50. Speed throws us full throttle into the fantastic reality of 90s action films--the fantastic reality of 80s action taken to its absurdest lengths. The laws of physics are exaggerated, defied, and defiled all for the sake of the audience's adrenaline-soaked enjoyment. Sandra Bullock can drive a huge hunk of bus-metal up and down exit ramps, around sharp 90 degree turns, over huge gaps in the highway, hitting car after car without injuring anyone, all while maintaining a speed above 50mph. It's glitchy cinema physics at its most extreme while still retaining a modicum of dignity--and it's done so well it takes your breath away. Keanu never gets very far past basic, shallow characterization, but Speed isn't about what Keanu FEELS, it's about what he DOES. And he does a lot! He does stuff in an elevator shaft, he does stuff in a few different kinds of cars going really fast, he does stuff on a bus, under a bus, in a subway train, ON a subway train, etc.! It's One Fish Two Fish for action movie vehicles, challenged only maybe by the second opening sequence to The World is Not Enough (boat-on-water, boat-on-land?, boat-on-water, hot air balloon!). A slick 90s production, with dynamic camerawork, great stunts, and an exceptionally fun plot, Speed delivers a highly polished and entertaining experience without the self-conscious irony of modern action films. An awfully good time.

8/10