Verdict
A must have
Speed is one of my all time favourite films with an iconic music score, jaw dropping action scenes and an endlessly quotable script. The 4K looks and sounds amazing with some entertaining special features, making this a worthy upgrade.
Plot: A young cop must prevent a bomb exploding aboard a city bus by keeping its speed above 50 mph.
Review: It’s hard to believe this classic movie turns 30 years old this June; I still remember seeing it in the cinema like it was yesterday. I had a double bill with Pulp Fiction which proved to be a rather awesome Saturday, as you can imagine.
To me, Speed is one of the greatest action movies of all time; it has such a simple concept and it is executed to perfection. Keanu’s haircut was all the rage that year and I believe I even got a buzz cut too.
Jack Traven is a John McClane-style bad ass but he’s suitably different in terms of personality. Where McClane is a family man, Jack is a loner who never plays by the rules. He relies on his gut and gets by on pure luck; during the events in this movie he discovers he needs more than that to beat the sadistic madman holding a bus full of commuters hostage.
Sandra Bullock is at times a little shrill, but it’s hard not to love Annie, who takes over driving the bus after the driver is shot. She bonds with Jack as the two try keep the passengers alive against all odds.
Dennis Hopper gives one of his best performances as Howard Payne, the crazy-not-stupid bomber and ex-cop out to get rich in a very complicated manner. He’s the kind of villain you love to hate and is definitely one of my all time favourites.
The supporting cast are all fantastic including Joe Morton and Jeff Daniels as two fellow cops who know Jack is a loose cannon, but give him leeway because they know he’s good at his job.
Speed manages to have plenty of action, great one-liners and nail-biting tension from beginning to end. This was before the days of CGI where the stunts are jaw dropping and the action is intense. I think the bus crashing into the plane at the end is one of the all-time great movie explosions and it’s still eye opening to this day.
In terms of flaws, I do think it jumps the shark a little at the end when the train track isn’t complete; every time I’m like “oh, come on!” as it just takes things a bit too far. It’s only a minor niggle in an otherwise fantastic action picture.
My favourite aspect of Speed is the stunning score from Mark Mancina; the amazingly catchy theme tune is pure adrenaline where it pounds away during the action scenes and works unobtrusively during the tense, quieter scenes.
I picked up Speed on 4K a few weeks back and it was worth the upgrade with improved picture and sound and some fun special features including audio commentary from director Jan De Bont as well as another commentary featuring Graham Yost and Mark Gordon. There are also some Extended Scenes and Behind the Scenes videos as well as the video for Billy Idol’s Speed.
Overall, Speed is one of my all time favourite films with a simple premise executed to perfection. Dennis Hopper shines as an iconic villain, Keanu is ideal as Jack Traven and Mark Mancina’s score is one of action movie’s finest. There are so many great scenes and memorable lines of dialogue and the 4K looks and sounds better than ever.
