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| Speed | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jan de Bont |
| Written by | Graham Yost |
| Produced by | Mark Gordon |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Andrzej Bartkowiak |
| Edited by | John Wright |
| Music by | Mark Mancina |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 116 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30–37 million[1][2] |
| Box office | $350.4 million[3] |
Speed is a 1994 Americanactionthriller film directed byJan de Bont in his feature directorial debut, and written byGraham Yost.Keanu Reeves,Dennis Hopper, andSandra Bullock star in the film, alongsideJoe Morton andJeff Daniels in supporting roles. The plot centers on acity bus rigged by a vengeful extortionist Howard Payne (Hopper) to explode if its speed drops below 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). Reeves playsLAPD officer Jack Traven, who is tasked with preventing the disaster, with Bullock portraying a passenger who becomes unexpectedly involved in the mission.
The film was inspired by bothRunaway Train and the 1975 Japanese languageaction thriller filmThe Bullet Train.[4] ScreenwriterGraham Yost was told by his father, Canadian television hostElwy Yost, about a 1985 film calledRunaway Train starringJon Voight, about a train that speeds out of control. Elwy mistakenly believed that the train's situation was due to a bomb on board: such a theme had in fact been used inThe Bullet Train. After seeing the Voight film, Graham decided that it would have been better if there had been a bomb on board a bus with the bus being forced to travel at 20 mph to prevent an actual explosion. A friend suggested that this be increased to 50 mph.[5]
Speed premiered on June 10, 1994, by20th Century Fox. The film was asleeper hit, receiving positive reviews from critics and grossing $350 million worldwide against a $30–37 million budget, becomingthe fifth-highest-grossing film of 1994. At the67th Academy Awards,Speed won Best Sound. The film also wonBest Sound andBest Editing at the48th British Academy Film Awards.
A sequel,Speed 2: Cruise Control, was released on June 13, 1997, but performed poorly and was critically lambasted, receiving widespread criticism for Reeves's absence and the film's change in setting. It has gone down in record as being one of the worst sequels to a good movie.
LAPDSWATbomb disposal officers Jack Traven and Harry Temple are tasked with preventing a bombing on a city elevator containing 13 people, masterminded by a vengeful extortionist, Howard Payne. After narrowly rescuing the passengers, the duo hunt down Payne, during which Harry is wounded to stop Payne from taking him hostage. Payne seemingly blows himself up while Jack and Harry are conferred medals in a ceremony. However, it is revealed that Payne has faked his death and has become personally bitter towards Jack. After destroying a bus to divert Jack's attention, Payne contacts him with a new scheme: a bomb planted on asecond (city bus number 2525)city bus that will activate upon reaching 50 MPH (approximately 80 KPH) and detonate if the bus slows below 50 but is also set to go off sometime before noon. He also warns Jack not to offload anybody, otherwise the explosive will detonate.
Jack receives an ultimatum from Payne: $3.7 million in ransom or the bomb will go off. Racing through traffic, Jack gets a ride from aJaguar owner named Maurice to warn the bus driver of the bomb. Realizing the vehicle has surpassed 50 and the bomb is already active, Jack boards the bus, but a felon's panic leads to the driver being shot; a passenger, Annie Porter, takes over the driving. With the bomb armed and passengers aware of the threat, Jack contacts Harry for help while trying to keep the bus moving. Payne agrees to allow the wounded driver to be handed over to the paramedics as a sign of good faith. Annie's seatmate, Helen, panics and attempts to get off the bus, but Payne sets off a smaller bomb underneath the steps, sending Helen underneath the tires and killing her.
Despite Payne's constant surveillance, Jack and Annie maneuver the bus through several dangerous obstacles, including a gap in the freeway, and direct it toLos Angeles International Airport to prevent traffic issues. Meanwhile, Harry discovers that Payne is a formerAtlanta Police Department bomb squad officer who was placed on administrative leave after losing a thumb. The bomb's design reflects his long-lasting bitterness over being under-compensated with nothing but a "cheap gold watch". Harry leads a SWAT team to arrest him; however, Payne's house has been rigged with explosives, and Harry dies along with his teammates in the blast.
In a last-ditch effort to defuse the bomb, Jack goes under the bus on a tethered roller bed, but the cable snaps due to damage sustained by the bus, and he barely escapes. In the process, he punctures thefuel tank and the bus starts running out of petrol. Jack is left hopeless until he notices that Payne is monitoring the bus through ahidden camera, giving Payne the edge at every moment. By looping thesurveillance footage Jack buys enough time for the passengers to escape, and the empty bus explodes while crashing into an emptycargo plane. While noticing the LAPD has made the delivery and is waiting to apprehend him, Payne sees the looped news feed and realizes he has been bested by Jack again.
Before they can take Annie home, the SWAT team travels to the drop-off point and tries to keep her out of sight. Payne discovers this and kidnaps her while dressed as an officer. Jack realizes that Payne has used the trash can with the money to access the subway system below and chases him onto a train. Payne straps anexplosive vest to Annie, but his plans unravel when he discovers an explodingdye pack in the duffel bag of money. Having been ultimately outsmarted yet again, Payne becomes completely enraged as he fights Jack on the train roof, eventually resulting in Payne's decapitation from an overhead sign. Jack deactivates the vest, but the train cannot be stopped because Payne has shot the controls. Jack instead accelerates the train, causing it to derail and crash ontoHollywood Boulevard. Jack and Annie emerge unscathed and share a kiss as onlookers watch in amazement.
ScreenwriterGraham Yost was inspired to writeSpeed after hearing about the 1985 filmRunaway Train from his father, Canadian television hostElwy Yost. Elwy mistakenly believed the train's out-of-control situation was caused by a bomb,[a] leading Graham to think that such a concept would work better on a bus. He initially envisioned a bomb that would detonate if the bus dropped below 20 mph, but a friend suggested revising the speed limit to 50 mph.[6] The film's ending was inspired by the 1976 filmSilver Streak. Originally titledMinimum Speed, Yost renamed itSpeed to avoid negative connotations associated with "minimum".[7]
Yost's initial draft had the entire film set on the bus, with no elevator or subway sequences. The bus was meant to drive aroundDodger Stadium and ultimately crash into theHollywood Sign.[7] After finishing the script, Yost presented it toParamount Pictures, which showed interest and suggestedJohn McTiernan to direct. However, McTiernan declined, feeling the script was too similar toDie Hard (1988), and recommendedJan de Bont instead. De Bont, who had been the director of photography for action films likeDie Hard andThe Hunt for Red October (1990), agreed to direct.Michael Bay had also expressed interest in directing.[8]
Paramount ultimately passed on the project, believing audiences wouldn't want to watch a film set almost entirely on a bus. Yost and de Bont then pitched the film to20th Century Fox, who agreed togreen-light the project but requested additional action sequences beyond the bus.[9] De Bont suggested starting the movie with a bomb on an elevator, drawing from his own experience of being trapped in an elevator while working onDie Hard.[9] Yost used this opening to establish the cleverness ofLAPDSWAT officer Jack Traven, inspired byPerseus' deception withMedusa.[7] De Bont also suggested concluding the film with a subway sequence to provide a final twist, which Fox approved.[7][9]
Joss Whedon was brought in a week before filming began to rework the dialogue and improve the script. Whedon made significant contributions, including transforming Jack Traven's character from a maverick hotshot into a more earnest and polite officer, removing forced one-liners, and creating the iconic line, "Pop quiz, hotshot."[7][10][11] Whedon also reworked minor characters, such as turning Doug Stephens (Alan Ruck) from an unpleasant lawyer into a hapless tourist.[10] Additionally, the character of Harry Temple was originally intended to be the film's villain, but onceDennis Hopper was cast as Howard Payne, this role was adjusted, and Temple's character remained non-complicit.[7]
WhenSpeed was under development atParamount Pictures,Jeff Speakman was originally attached to star in the lead role. However, after the project was acquired by20th Century Fox, Speakman was dropped.[12]Stephen Baldwin was initially offered the role of Jack Traven but declined, citing the character's similarity toJohn McClane fromDie Hard (1988).[11]Richard Grieco also turned down the role, later expressing regret over his decision.[13] Other actors considered for the part includedTom Cruise,Tom Hanks,Wesley Snipes, andWoody Harrelson.[7] DirectorJan de Bont ultimately castKeanu Reeves after seeing his performance inPoint Break (1991), believing that Reeves projected a balance of vulnerability and strength.[11] Reeves underwent physical training and cut his hair short for the role, a decision that initially concerned the studio.[11] He also starred inRiver's Edge (1986) with Hooper.
The character of Annie was originally written as anAfrican Americanparamedic to justify her ability to drive the bus. The role was first offered toHalle Berry, who declined, but later expressed regret over her decision.[7][14] As the character evolved into a comic relief sidekick,Ellen DeGeneres was considered for the part.[15] Eventually, the role was rewritten as a love interest for Jack Traven, leading to the casting ofSandra Bullock. Bullock auditioned alongside Reeves to ensure their on-screen chemistry, which involved performing physically demanding scenes.[16]Meryl Streep,Kim Basinger, andAnne Heche were also offered or considered for the role but declined.[17][18]
Principal photography forSpeed commenced on September 7, 1993, and concluded on December 23, 1993, inLos Angeles. DirectorJan de Bont used an 80-foot model of a 50-story elevator shaft for the film's opening sequence.[19] During production,River Phoenix, a close friend of actorKeanu Reeves, died.[11] In response, de Bont adjusted the shooting schedule to accommodate Reeves, giving him less demanding scenes. De Bont noted that the loss deeply affected Reeves, making him quieter and emotionally withdrawn. Initially hesitant about the film's action sequences, Reeves expressed to de Bont, "I'm not an action hero. I don't like it. I don't know how to do it," which de Bont saw as an advantage, believing it paralleled Reeves' character, who was thrust into an extraordinary situation.[11] As production progressed, Reeves became more involved with his stunts, even secretly rehearsing the Jaguar-to-bus jump, which he later performed himself, against de Bont's disapproval.[20]
The production used elevenGM New Look buses (TDH-5303) and threeGrumman 870 buses.[21][22] Two of these buses were destroyed in explosions, while others were adapted for specific scenes, including high-speed sequences, interior shots, and "under bus" scenes. The bus jump scene was filmed in one take using a specially rigged bus equipped with a ramp to allow for lift-off. The driver was suspended in a shock-absorbing harness to prevent injury during the landing.[23] The film's fictionalized bus route, "33 Downtown", was modeled after the real-lifeBig Blue Bus servingSanta Monica.[21] One of the buses used in the film was auctioned for $102,000 in 2018.[24]
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Many of the freeway scenes were shot on California'sInterstate 105 andInterstate 110, specifically at theJudge Harry Pregerson Interchange, which was under construction at the time of filming. De Bont noticed unfinished sections of the freeway during a location scout and suggested adding a bus jump to the script.[19] The scene where the bus jumps over an incomplete freeway was achieved using a ramp to give the vehicle the necessary lift.[25]Computer-generated imagery (CGI) was later used to create the appearance of a gap in the freeway, aided bySony Pictures Imageworks.[23] A 2009 episode ofMythBusters tested the feasibility of the bus jump and concluded that it was impossible under real-world conditions.[26]
De Bont revealed in aDVD commentary that the bus jump stunt did not go as planned on the first attempt. The stunt driver missed the ramp, damaging the bus beyond repair. A second bus was prepared, and a successful jump was filmed two days later, although it traveled further than expected and destroyed one of the cameras set up to capture the landing. Fortunately, another camera, placed 90 feet from the jump ramp, recorded the stunt.
The film's final scenes were shot atMojave Airport, which stood in forLos Angeles International Airport. Shots of theLACMTAMetro Red Line during the film's climactic subway sequence were created using an 1/8 scale model, except for the train derailment jump.[23]
The MD520N helicopter featured in the film, registration N599DB, was later sold to theCalgary Police Service in 1995 and remained in use until 2006, after which it was sold to a private owner.[27][28]
Speed was released on June 10, 1994, in 2,138 theaters across the United States and Canada. It debuted atnumber 1 at the US box-office, surpassingThe Flintstones andCity Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold, and grossing $14.5 million in its opening weekend.[29][30]Speed held the number one position for a week before being overtaken byWolf, generating $12.9 million in its second weekend.[31][32] In its third weekend, despite the debut ofThe Lion King, the film retained second place at the box office, collecting an additional $12.4 million.[33] It enjoyed prolonged success in international markets, staying number one for 8 consecutive weeks in Australia and 10 weeks in Japan.[34][35] The film set opening records for20th Century Fox in South Korea with $216,077; Brazil with $669,725; and South Africa with $267,140.[36][37][38]
Overall,Speed grossed $121.3 million in the United States and Canada, with an additional $229.2 million internationally, for a total worldwide gross of $350.5 million. This far exceeded its production budget, estimated between $30 million and $37 million.[3][1][2] The film remainedSandra Bullock's highest-grossing film untilGravity surpassed it in 2013.[39]
On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes,Speed holds a 95% approval rating based on 79 reviews, with an average rating of 8.10/10. The site's consensus reads, "A terrific popcorn thriller,Speed is taut, tense, and energetic, with outstanding performances from Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper and Sandra Bullock."[40] OnMetacritic, it has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[41] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[42]
Roger Ebert ofThe Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film 4 out of 4 stars, describing it as "manic exhilaration" and praised Reeves's transition into a credible action hero, while also commending Hopper's performance as the film's villain.[43] On theirTV show, Ebert's colleagueGene Siskel praised Reeves as "absolutely compelling" and said that "all of the sequences work." Both critics enthusiastically agreed that the film was "a lot of fun."[44]
Peter Travers ofRolling Stone remarked that "Speed works like a charm," highlighting its entertainment value.[45]Janet Maslin ofThe New York Times praised Hopper's portrayal of "crazy menace" and noted the film's swift pacing, which left little room for character development but maintained momentum.[46]Owen Gleiberman ofEntertainment Weekly gave the film an "A" rating, lauding directorJan de Bont's craftsmanship, andRichard Schickel ofTime noted the film's ability to tap into common anxieties, calling it an effective thriller.[47][48]
The film has also received long-term recognition.Quentin Tarantino namedSpeed as one of the top 20 films he had seen between 1992 and 2009.[49][50]Entertainment Weekly ranked the film eighth on its list of "The Best Rock-'em, Sock-'em Movies of the Past 25 Years."[51]Empire includedSpeed in its "500 Greatest Movies of All Time" list in 2008, ranking it #451.[52] In 2017,BBC'sMark Kermode revisited the film and declared it a "timeless masterpiece," praising its enduring appeal as an action classic.[53]
In 2025,The Hollywood Reporter listedSpeed as having the best stunts of 1994.[54]
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American Film Institute recognition:
A soundtrack album featuring "songs from and inspired by" the film was released on June 28, 1994, with the following tracks.[88] The soundtrack was commercially successful in Japan, being certified gold by theRIAJ in 2002.[89]
Michael Kamen was initially considered to compose the score of the movie. However, De Bont choseMark Mancina, who at the time worked in someHans Zimmer scores likeDays of Thunder,Where Sleeping Dogs Lie andTrue Romance.[90]
In addition to the soundtrack release, a separate album featuring 40 minutes of Mark Mancina's score from the film was released on August 30, 1994, by20th Century Fox Film Scores.[91]
La-La Land Records andFox Music released a limited expanded version of Mark Mancina's score on February 28, 2012.[92] The newly remastered release features 69:25 of music spread over 32 tracks (in chronological order). In addition, it includes the song "Speed" byBilly Idol.[92]
On June 13, 1997,Speed 2: Cruise Control, a sequel toSpeed, was released to overwhelming negative reviews and poor box-office performance.Sandra Bullock reprised her role as Annie, reportedly in exchange for financial backing on another project, butKeanu Reeves declined to return as Jack Traven. As a result,Jason Patric was cast as Alex Shaw, Annie's new boyfriend, with the storyline explaining that she and Jack had broken up due to her concerns over Jack's dangerous profession.Willem Dafoe portrayed the villain, John Geiger, whileGlenn Plummer, who played a carjacking victim in the first film, made acameo as the same character, this time involved with a boat.Speed 2 is widely regarded as one of the worst sequels ever made, holding a 4% approval rating onRotten Tomatoes based on 71 reviews.[93]
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