Speed
 Theatrical release poster | ||
| Starring |
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| Directed by | Jan de Bont | |
| Produced by | Mark Gordon (producer) | |
| Written by | Graham Yost | |
| Editing by | John Wright (film editor) | |
| Studio | The Mark Gordon Company | |
| Music by | Mark Mancina | |
| Cinematography | Andrzej Bartkowiak | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox | |
| Released | Jun 7, 1994 in Hollywood Jun 10, 1994 in United States | |
| Runtime | 116 minutes | |
| Country | United States | |
| language | English | |
Speed is a 1994 American action thriller film directed by Jan de Bont in his feature film directorial debut. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Joe Morton, and Jeff Daniels. Its premise revolves around a bus that is rigged by a terrorist to explode if its speed falls below 50 miles per hour.
The film premiered in Hollywood on June 7, 1994, and was released in United States on June 10, 1994, it became critically and commercially successful, grossing $350.4 million on a $30–37 million budget, becoming the fifth-highest-grossing film of 1994 and winning two Academy Awards: Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Sound. A sequel, Speed 2: Cruise Control, was released on June 13, 1997, without Reeves' involvement. David Edelstein considered it to be the worst sequel of all time.
Plot
LAPD SWAT bomb disposal officers Jack and Harry thwart an attempt to hold an elevator full of people for a $3 million ransom by an extortionist bomber, later identified as Howard Payne. As they corner Payne, he takes Harry hostage. Jack intentionally shoots Harry in the leg, forcing the bomber to release him. Payne flees and explodes the bomb, seemingly dying. Jack and Harry are praised by Lieutenant "Mac" McMahon, with Harry being promoted. Having survived the incident, however, Payne watches from afar. The next morning, Jack witnesses a mass transit bus explode orchestrated by Payne, who contacts Jack on a nearby payphone, explaining that a similar bomb is rigged on another bus, which will activate once it reaches 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) and detonate if it drops below 50.
Payne also demands a ransom of $3.7 million and threatens to detonate the bus if the passengers are offloaded. Jack races through freeway traffic and boards the bus, but the bomb is already armed. He explains the situation to Sam Silver, the bus driver. However, a criminal on board, fearing Jack is about to arrest him, wildly discharges his gun, accidentally wounding Sam. Another passenger, Annie Porter, takes over for Sam, but when she tries to slow down so he can get help, Jack is forced to reveal the bomb, to the passengers' shock and horror. Jack examines the bomb underneath the bus and calls Harry, who works to identify the bomber. The bus is cleared to drive on an unopened freeway section. Mac demands that they offload the passengers onto a flatbed trailer, but Jack warns him about Payne's plot.
Witnessing the events on TV, Payne calls Jack to reiterate his instructions. While he is convinced to allow the injured Sam to be offloaded for medical attention as a show of good will, Payne detonates a smaller bomb after witnessing a passenger attempt to get off, killing her. When Jack learns part of the freeway is incomplete, he persuades Annie to accelerate so they can jump the gap, which narrowly succeeds, before directing her to a nearby airport to use their unobstructed runways. Meanwhile, Harry identifies Payne's name, former occupation as a bomb squad officer, and address. He leads a SWAT team to Payne's home, but the property explodes, killing them. In a last-ditch attempt to defuse the bomb, Jack goes under the bus on a towed sled, but he accidentally punctures the fuel tank when the sled breaks from its tow line.
After the passengers bring him back aboard, Jack learns that Harry has been killed and that Payne has been watching the passengers on a hidden surveillance camera. Mac has a local news crew record the transmission and rebroadcast it on a loop to fool Payne while the passengers are offloaded onto an airport bus. Jack and Annie escape through a floor access panel before the empty bus collides with a Boeing 707 cargo plane and explodes. Jack and Mac head to Pershing Square to drop the ransom. Realizing that he has been fooled, no one died in the explosion, and the LAPD are waiting for him, Payne poses as a police officer to kidnap Annie and recover the ransom. Jack follows Payne into the Metro Red Line subway and discovers that Annie has been fitted with an explosive vest rigged to a pressure-release detonator.
Payne hijacks a subway train, handcuffs Annie to a pole, and sets the train in motion while Jack pursues them. After killing the train engineer, Payne attempts a bribe with the ransom money, but is enraged when a dye pack in the bag explodes, tainting the cash. A crazed Payne battles Jack on the train's roof and gains the upper hand, standing onto of Jack and trying to strangle him. However, Jack pushes Payne's head up, and he is decapitated by an oncoming railway signal.
Jack deactivates Annie's vest, but cannot free her from the pole as Payne had the key to her handcuffs. Unable to stop the train, Jack accelerates it, causing it to jump the tracks, as it plows through a construction site and then bursts onto Hollywood Boulevard. The train car comes to a halt, on the street. Unharmed, Jack and Annie share a kiss while a crowd looks on in amazement.
- Screenies for Speed
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