'Speed' has to be the ultimate action film, involving you in an intense experience from the opening credits until the smash-bang climax. Not only do Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock do top work, but Dennis Hopper makes the most compelling villain of the '90s.
It all starts with a revenge-driven extortionist letting authorities know he has planted a bomb on a bus. The catch is it will explode if the bus is driven at less than fifty miles an hour. The script races along with non-stop action and surprise twists, without ever giving the audience time to stop for breath. It's a little too intense for its own good and could have used some lighter moments to give us a break!
Taut and suspenseful, with excellent effects and gripping suspense that keeps you riveted. Some of the stunts seem too incredible to be believable but in a film of this kind you have to go with the flow. The stunt work itself is breathtaking and makes it easy to see why the film is one of the most highly rated action films of the '90s.
