Movies - Speed

Home > Listing Index > Movies > Speed (film)

	Movies - Speed

Speed is a 1994 film directed by Jan de Bont, starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock (her breakout role), Jeff Daniels and Dennis Hopper. Written by Graham Yost, the story is about a Los Angeles police officer (Reeves) who has to stop an insane bomber/extortionist (Hopper) who has rigged a bomb on a public transit bus (a Santa Monica Intercity Bus Lines bus, which looks similar to City of Santa Monica Big Blue Bus). The film is often cited as an excellent example of a high concept film: "a bomb on a bus."

Plot summary

Jack Traven (Reeves) is a hot-shot bomb squad officer who is willing to do unconventional things to resolve hostage situations, like shooting the hostage (in this case, his partner, Harry (Daniels). A disgruntled individual, Howard Payne (Hopper), likes to challenge Traven and his unconventional techniques. After Traven foils an attempt by Payne to extort money by holding an elevator hostage (through remote control), Payne ups the ante by declaring that a bus in the city has been rigged with explosives triggered by the bus speed. When the bus exceeds 50 mph (80 km/h) the explosive is armed, with the charge being triggered to explode if its speed drops below 50 mph thereafter. Additionally, no one is allowed on or off the bus.

Traven races to intercept the bus, but he is too late to stop the bus from exceeding the 50 miles per hour; the bomb is now armed and cannot be stopped. Now required to keep the bus moving at the minimum speed, Traven boards the bus. However, a young hoodlum, mistakenly believing that the police office doing all this to arrest him, produces a handgun and demands the bus be stopped. While Traven tries to explain the situation and calm the man down, another rider tackles the hoodlum, which causes the handgun to accidentally go off and hit the bus driver. Traven convinces Payne to allow the injured bus driver off the bus. However, after the bus driver is safely off, a woman pushes her way through and attempts to get off. Payne, who is watching the situation on live TV, pushes a button, detonating a minor charge below the floor of the bus near the door, killing the woman who then passes under the rear wheels of the bus.

With the bus driver gone, a young woman, Annie (Bullock), is forced to take over the controls and struggle to keep the bus moving at an acceptable speed. Even though she lost her license for speeding, she must, ironically, speed through the congested city to keep the bus moving. Meanwhile, the police are alerted to the crisis and provide escort, clear traffic, plan the best route for the bus, and search for the bomber. It turns out that the bomber was a former Atlanta PD bomb squad officer, and has multiple ways of keeping track of the occupants. The attempt to find him out is foiled; Payne has moved out, and the house that the police raid blows up.

After many mishaps and near misses, Traven figures out how the bomber is monitoring the activity in the bus and uses that knowledge to fool him while the occupants are safely evacuated. Traven and Annie safely escape, only to be challenged again by Payne in a last ditch attempt at getting his money. Payne pretends to be a police officer and lures Annie as a hostage onto a Metro Red Line subway train. Officer Traven finds the train. In a dramatic sequence, the two rivals fight on the top of the subway, which ends when Payne gets decapitated by a hanging light. However, the train can't stop now since Payne killed the operator and destroyed the controls. In the end, Annie and Jack crash at what is now the Hollywood/Highland Red Line station. (In 1993, the North Hollywood extension was under construction.) The train derails and is sent up an equipment access ramp outside Grauman's Chinese Theater, where Annie and Jack kiss as the movie ends.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Speed (film) ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Speed (film); it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Movies - Speed

Plot summary

Searches on eBay

Related searches on eBay