Speed Review

Speed


Release Date: 30th June 1994 - Australia


Production Companies
20th Century Fox Film Corporation

Distribution
20th Century Fox Australia


Genre: Action/Thriller

Rating: M

Runtime: 116 minutes


Budget: $30,000,000

Box Office Gross: $350,448,145 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary

A revenge-seeking extortionist sets up a bomb on a bus, and Jack Traven, a specialist from L.A.P.D.'s SWAT team, is sent to disarm the explosive before all the passengers get killed. With the aid of a passenger, Annie Porter. They must speed the transport vehicle through the streets of Los Angeles and stop it from slowing down before the bomb detonates.

Cast
Keanu Reeves - Officer Jack
Traven
Dennis Hopper - Howard Payne
Sandra Bullock - Annie Porter
Jeff Daniels - Det. Harold
"Harry" Temple

Joe Morton - Lt. McMahon
Richard Lineback - Sgt. Norwood
Alan Ruck - Doug Stephens
Margaret Medina - Officer
Robin Barnette
Hawthorne James - Sam
Beth Grant - Helen
Carlos Carrasco - Ortiz
Glenn Plummer - Jaguar Owner
David Kriegel - Terry
Natsuko Ohama - Mrs. Kamino
Daniel Villarreal - Ray
Margaret Medina - Robin
Jordan Lund - Bagwell

Robert Mailhouse - Young Executive

Patrick Fischler - Friend of Executive

Patrick John Hurley - CEO

John Capodice - Bob

Thomas Rosales Jr. - Vince

Richard Schiff - Train Driver

Sandy Martin - Bartender

Neisha Folkes-LeMelle - Mrs. McMahon

Crew
Director - Jan de Bont
Writer - Graham Yost

Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager -

Ian Bryce
Producer - Mark Gordon
Co-Producer - Allison Lyon Segan

Technical Advisors: Police - Randy Walker

and Ed Arneson

Casting Directors - Risa Bramon Garcia

and Billy Hopkins
Production Designer - Jackson DeGovia

Art Director - John R. Jensen

Set Decorator - K.C. Fox

Property Master - Trish Gallaher Glenn

Costume Designer - Ellen Mirojnick
Director of Photography - Andrzej Bartkowiak

First Assistant Camera - Michael Condro,

Mikael Glattes, Vern Nobles Jr. and Steve Adcock

(Uncredited)

Second Assistant Camera - Christopher Blauvelt

and John J. Ellingwood

First Assistant Director - David Sardi

Second Unit Director - Alexander Witt
Stunt Coordinator - Gary Hymes

Assistant Stunt Coordinator - Brian Smrz

Transportation Coordinator - Randy Peters
Special Effects Coordinator - John Frazier
Visual Effects Supervisor - Boyd Shermis
Supervisor: Grant McCune Design -

Grant McCune

Computer Graphics Supervisor: SPI -

Ron Brinkmann

Director of Photography: Subway Crew -

David Drzewiecki
Film Editor - John Wright

Supervising Sound Editor - Stephen Hunter Flick

Supervisor ADR Editor - Victoria Rose Sampson

Supervising Dialogue Editor - Gary S. Gerlich

Dialogue Editors - Gregory H. Gerlich,

Elliott Koretz, Pieter Hubbard,

Marvin Walowitz and Hal Sanders

Re-Recording Mixers - Bob Beemer,

Gregg Landaker and Steve Maslow

Music - Mark Mancina

Composer: Additional Music - John Van Tongoren

Executive Music Producer - Ralph Sall

Music Recordists and Mixers - Jay Rifkin

and Alan Meyerson


Awards

1995 Academy Awards
Best Sound - Gregg Landaker, Steve Maslow,
Bob Beemer and David MacMillian (Won)
Best Sound Editing - Stephen Hunter Flick (Won)
--------------------------
Best Film Editing - John Wright (Nominated)


Review
From start to finish, SPEED was a full-throttle action sensation. It features the well-talented performances of Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper and Sandra Bullock, with excellent direction by Jan de Bont. It is a thrilling blockbuster movie where it is hero vs. villain as the hero has a certain amount of time to disarm a bomb in a bus, and the villain sits back and devises evil plans to cause havoc and destruction. The stunt performances were extraordinary in a limitless spectacle, especially considering the age of this feature and the limited technology that existed when it was released.

With the exclusion of the bus jump scene, which is proven theoretically as poor physics, the bus clearly could not have cleared a jump of that length, given its weight and size. That explains some of that Hollywood magic.

SPEED does qualify as one of the great action hits. It is pleasurable for movie viewers to enjoy it in an action-oriented marathon or just one viewing. This high-octane action-thriller is close to being the best film of the year, which now goes to The Lion King.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

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