#26: SPEED

STARRING Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Joe Morton and Jeff Daniels. Written by Graham Yost. Music by Mark Mancina, produced by Mark Gordon and directed by Jan de Bont. Budget $37 million. Running time 116 minutes. Originally released in 1994.

When demented bomber extortionist, Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) bobby traps an express elevator in a skyscraper only the heroic intervention of Keanu Reeves' Jack Traven and buddy Harry Temple (Jeff Daniels) can save the day. And in a fantastically gripping and exciting opening 20 minutes they do! Trouble is, all that does is trigger Payne on an even more audacious plot, this time with double dose of added revenge, as he plants a bomb on a commuter bus which'll explode if the bus slows below 50mph. What follows a thrilling, action thriller classic, which cemented Keanu's career.

This was fun to see on the big screen again, it starts fantastically strong, but despite the hook, the bus dropping below 50, it doesn't quite sustain its momentum and the third act showdown between Keanu and Hopper on the subway train is just silly. And overall Sandra Bullock's whiny voice is the classic case of a little goes a long way. Still, at least Dennis Hopper was having fun.

Nowadays most of this would be done with CGI, so the practical effects are a positive, in fact, it's what makes the film feel so gripping, there feels like real stakes involved. Jan de Bont does a great job with the action and there's a huge sense of kinetic energy fuelling this action classic. The only real negative here is the soundtrack which shows its age and grates quite quickly.

8/10 

 

• Jeff Daniels as Detective Harry Temple