Rating: 
Summary: Modern classic gets the treatment it deserves
Review: At long last, SPEED (1994) has been given the bells-and-whistles DVD treatment it so thoroughly deserves. That rarity in modern American cinema - a high concept bubblegum movie which lives up to its own hype and doesn't insult the audience's intelligence - the film offers a three-act scenario (elevator, bus and subway) in which a ruthless terrorist (Dennis Hopper) pits his considerable bomb-making skills against the local SWAT team's finest agents, led by a pumped-up Keanu Reeves (whose career was subsequently launched into orbit, reaching iconic status in the ultra-popular MATRIX series). In one of the commentaries provided by Fox's 'Five Star Collection' DVD, producer Mark Gordon (SAVING PRIVATE RYAN) and writer Graham Yost (BROKEN ARROW) cheerfully acknowledge the film's one-dimensional characters and obvious plot-holes whilst celebrating the ultra-slick production values and breathtaking action sequences. And it IS slick: Debut director Jan de Bont (an erstwhile cinematographer, usually associated with Paul Verhoeven) has marshalled a note-perfect creative team on both sides of the camera, turning Yost's modest screenplay into a super-charged thrill-machine, photographed (by Andrzej Bartkowiak) and edited (by John Wright) to perfection, and augmented by some of the best stuntwork and visual effects that money can buy. The cast is dependable and solid: Reeves and Hopper make a formidable virtue of their opposing characters, and leading lady Sandra Bullock 'makes cute' in a career-making performance, while Jeff Daniels (DUMB & DUMBER) and Joe Morton (THE BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET) offer strong support in crucial secondary roles. It could be argued that the film's narrative simplicity doesn't lend itself to the kind of intense scrutiny offered by Fox's fully-loaded two-disc presentation, but it's churlish to quibble - this is knee-slapping entertainment at its finest, and likely to be recognized as such for decades to come, alongside the likes of DIE HARD and the TERMINATOR franchise. Accordingly, the supplements are more than welcome: Aside from the commentaries, there are various trailers, featurettes, multi-angle stunt comparisons, and a reproduction of the original screenplay (not much different from the finished product), amongst other bits and pieces. The film itself - which runs 115m 44s - has never looked or sounded better on home video, with the Panavision frame reproduced at 2.35:1 (enhanced for 16:9 TV's), preserving all the color and clarity of a pristine theatrical print. However, on the disc viewed, there's a technical blip at 76:01 in which the image momentarily freezes and breaks up. The fault amounts to little more than one second of screen time, but given the disc's THX certification, it's unfortunate, to say the least. The soundtrack is terrific, providing fully immersive sonic thrills in both Dolby and DTS 5.1 options. English captions and subtitles are provided. There are two notable drawbacks: Firstly, during the aforementioned Yost/Gordon commentary, both men interrupt each other on numerous occasions, sometimes on a shot-by-shot basis, curtailing more than a few fascinating anecdotes and transforming much of their freewheeling discourse into a halting exercise in frustration. Most curiously of all, they deliberately retreat from a potentially unpleasant story about Ellen De Generes which might have shown these two gentlemen in a less than flattering light. No wonder the disc opens with a disclaimer which distances Fox from the opinions expressed herein... Nevertheless, much of their conversation remains of interest, particularly their thoughts on the direction of modern action cinema post 9/11/2001. Secondly, there is no mention of the Japanese thriller THE BULLET TRAIN (Shinkansen Daibakuha, 1975), in which a terrorist bomb is primed to explode on board a packed commuter train if it falls below a certain speed. It's possible that SPEED was written and produced in complete ignorance of the earlier film, but the two scenarios share uncomfortable similarities. Besides, many reviews have already drawn attention to these narrative parallels, which leads one to wonder why they weren't addressed by this 'special edition', if only to deny a connection between the two films.
Rating: 
Summary: Pop Quiz Hotshot!
Review: Jan DeBont's first film as director is one of the greatest action films of the 90's. Starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Dennis Hopper and Jeff Daniels, Speed is an adrenalin-pumping movie that is essentially one big extended action scene. Throughout the film's running time the pace never lets up, creating suspense- filled action and excitement. The premise of the action makes for one far-fetched but fun thrill ride. Keanu is the quintessential cool guy action hero Jack Traven who, along with Annie Porter (Bullock) tries not to get blown up by a bomb that retired cop Howard Payne (Hopper) has set on the bus to get money. The entire principal cast are great, especially Hopper, whose character is reminiscent of his crazy bad guy in Red Rock West (1992). With lines like "Poor people are crazy Jack, I'm eccentric", Hopper manages to give a good performance during his rather short screen time. Plus the added quality of the always-good Daniels is first-rate. And Keanu, now best known for The Matrix, is equally cool here. Jan DeBont's direction makes the film a taut, entertaining action ride, and surprisingly, Bullock manages to change from nervy bus passenger to a strong character by the film's conclusion. And the film's musical score creates even more tension and excitement. But the film is not perfect, it's predictable and things get rather monotonous at the end, with yet another gasping of "The track's not finished!" Minor quibbles aside, the action is impressive, and Jan DeBont's visual stylishness gives a really eye-catching look. This action-fest is one of the best. The extras are a real downer, with only a trailer.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best action films I've seen.
Review: Keanu Reeves is a rarity: he's a second-rate actor (at least compared to other big movie stars like Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford) who has kept his career afloat courtesy of a critically and commercially successful film every now and then. These films usually have the tendency to keep his big-screen acting career going steady for another four to five years, by which then he somehow latches on to another big hit. I hear he's going to be starring in the period epic Tripoli, so expect his career to extend to at least 2011. Speed is one such film, his second after Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure), but it's one of those much-hyped blockbusters that's actually worth of all the acclaim it's received and then some. Bringing together a highly unlikely cast (Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Jeff Daniels, and a then unknown Sandra Bullock) and first-time director Jan De Bont, it must have spelled a recipe for disaster. But by miracle or just pure filmmaking bravado (more the latter than the former, though if the film had been made yeseterday, I might be more inclined to agree with the former), they pulled off a great action film, one of the best ever. After beginning with what must be one of the most intense opening credits sequences, the plot quickly gets underway. Mad bomber Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) has just rigged explosives to drop an elevator and its apparently wealthy occupants down quite a few floors to their deaths. But his plan to extort $3.7 million is foiled by quick-thinking LAPD cop Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) and his partner (Jeff Daniels, in pretty much the thankless role that really doesn't go anywhere). Out for revenge, Payne raises the stakes further in his ransom demands by rigging a bomb under a city bus. Once the vehicle goes over 50 mph, the bomb will be activated, and once the bus goes below 50, it'll be detonated. Traven makes a mad dash for the bus, arriving after it's already passed 50 mph, but able to keep the bus from going below. Unfortunately, the driver is shot in a mishap, leaving spunky passenger Annie Porter (Sandra Bullock) to take the wheel. To make matters worse, they're in the middle of morning rush hour; staying about 50 mph will be almost an impossible task. Speed is divided into essentially three acts and setpieces: the opening elevator sequence, the centerpiece with the bus, and finally a climactic (or post-climactic as some may see it) resolution which I won't divulge here. The bus sequence is easily the movie's highlight, quite possibly the longest action scene I've ever seen. The whole setpiece lasts just a little over fifty minutes and throws in every imaginably plausible hindrance there is to keeping a bus over 50 mph. The stark simplicity of the premise is what fuels the film. There's probably no greater compliment I can pay the movie than to say that I can't imagine the premise being pulled off better. Every strand related to story and script is merely a means to keep the action and suspense going; I've rarely seen a film maintain such a high level of intensity and pure thrilling, crowdpleasing fun for such a lengthy period of time. Director Jan de Bont's work here is probably among the best feature film debuts out there (only Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead comes to mind as an equally terrific debut, but was that even released in theaters in the U.S.?); he keeps the editing super-tight and the pacing frantic, but still puts the action together with crystal-clear comprehensibility. That's a fantastic accomplishment. Whatever happened to the de Bont who knew how to deliver such kinetic thrills? Each of his successive films have been progressively worse, and he's even gone as low as making a Tomb Raider sequel. Mr. de Bont, you're better than that. The acting and dialogue are adequate enough that they don't distract from any of the action or thrills. Limited as his talent may be, Keanu Reeves is just one of those actors who I can't help but like. His performance here is still fraught with obvious moments of poor acting, but he's overall better than usual and occasionally even quite good, and he's a pretty damn easy hero to root for. Sandra Bullock is perhaps the real standout of the picture. As feisty and sexy in a girl-next-door way as any heroine, Bullock is appealingly down to earth and entirely convincing as just a normal bystander caught in an unbelievable situation; this is as natural as acting gets. She also has damn good chemistry with Reeves, one of the vital elements missing in the sequel. Dennis Hopper is fine as the villain, this isn't really anything we haven't already seen from him in one form or another but his schtick was still amusing at the time. Cast directors must also be applauded for all (well, most of, a couple of the extras in the bus are pretty bad) the extras and character actors they used to play the bus passengers; there's a genuine sense of teamwork and solid chemistry at hand. At no point does Speed ever crumble; its perfectly lean storytelling ensures that it never strays from the thrills on hand and it's so exciting only the biggest hard-hearted churl would try to nitpick the implausibilities. The last few minutes might seem a little excessive when one considers how exhausted we already are from all the non-stop action. That said, the third act is still very exciting, just not as inventive as the action that came before it. Speed was inevitably followed by a sequel, which wasn't entirely unenjoyable in its own right, but misses a lot of the spark that's evident in this picture. Hell, I'd even say it needed Keanu Reeves, but by that magical Keanu rule of blockbuster hits, he wisely passed reprising the role of Traven and went on to star in The Matrix. Yup, I don't see his career extinguishing any time soon.
Rating:
Summary: Get ready for rush hour!!!
Review: Keanu Reeve's , Sandra Bullock , and Dennis Hopper star in
this blockbuster hit that insn't the ordinary run of the mill
action film thank god.L.A. Police detective Jack Travin has
been called out to stop a mad extortionist bomber played by
Dennis Hopper who demands millons of dollars. When this happens Speed shift's into overdrive with a race
against time and through the street's in scenes that easily
rival Bullit or the French Connection , because all of the
driving stunts are done with real busses 10 to be exact even
a stunt where a bus jumps over an incompleted 50 foot gap and
by then i'd say that the filmakers have easily overrivaled
other car chase movies because simply this movie has made a
new statement for them , but that's not all, the bomber takes a
hostage the bus driver played by Sandra
Bullock by taking her aboard a subway train and a fight sequence
and an out of control subway train climaxes the film. When Speed is all said an done Jean De Bont carries his film well giving us a memorable action film with unexpected romance
crowd pleasing thrills and a ride that you wan't to take much
more than once.This new two disk set has anything you ever want
to know about Speed and then some and with a Dts soundtrack now
Speed will sound more like your on the bus rather then just watching it if you like action movies or car chase movies then
Speed is a classic you should definately add to your collection.
Rating:
Summary: Speed (Five - Star - Collection 2 DVD's)
Review: Just in case some of you do not know the specs for this great 2-DVD set, here are the details: -Newly Mastered, THX -Certified Anamorph Widescreen Video
-Audio in Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 Versions
-Audio Commentary by Jan De Bont, Graham Yost and Mark Gordon
-Extended and Deleted Scenes
-Multi -Angle Stunt Comparisons
-Featurettes
-Interviews with Reeves, Bullock, Hopper, Daniels and De Bont
-HBO First Look Special
-Original Theatrical Trailer
-Billy Idol Music Video
-Production Notes
-Original Screenplay
-Image Gallery Totaling Over 400 Images Now, do you still need to consider buying this DVD? Of course not! This is one great DVD that no one should miss: great action, great thriller, great suspense, great looking actors(Keanu Reeves) and great looking actress (Sandra Bullock). What else can you ask for more??
Rating:
Summary: Lift,bus,train. 16th april 2004.
Review: A great film for the actions. It starts off in a lift that breaks down, then it goes onto a bus that once it reaches 50mile an hour, it can't go below that speed cos there is a bomb on the bus. Then in the end, the last 2 that are on the train find a way to get off, but they can't. Superb film even if you don't like any action films and shooting films.
Rating:
Summary: An exciting rollercoaster ride
Review: This film is a terrific action adventure with an appealing hero and heroine, great stunts and special effects and a psycho villain who isn't as smart as he thinks he is. The movie races along through three tense episodes involving patrons on a high-rise elevator, passengers caught on a runaway city bus and a rapid transit train coursing through the dark tunnels of the under-construction Los Angeles subway system. Good-guy Jack Traven [Keanu Reeves] gets a great assist from feisty Annie Porter [Sandra Bullock] as she guides the bus on a wild ride on LA's freeways and busy streets while crazed extortionist Howard Payne [Dennis Hopper] does his best to make sure his diabolical plan doesn't fail. Even if the picture seems to borrow elements from some popular action films, this movie is a rollercoaster ride from start to finish and fans of exciting train action sequences will really enjoy the film's endgame which is a climactic struggle between good and evil.
Rating:
Summary: UNIMAGINABLE HIGH OCTANE THRILLER!!!!
Review: IMAGINE A CROWDED BUS OF PETRIFIED PASSENGERS GOING 55MPH, GOING THROUGH RED LIGHTS, STOP SIGNS, AND EVERYTHING ELSE IMAGINABLE, WITH THE UNCONCEIVABLE CONTENTION THAT IT IS BOOBY TRAPPED WITH A BOMB WITH A YOUNG DAMSEL IN DISTRESS (SANDRA BULLOCK) AT THE WHEEL, A DASHING YOUN HERO ( A SWAT OFFICIAL KEANU REEVES) WHO MUST SAVE THEM ALL FROM CERTAIN DEATH, AND A SADISTIC DERANGED VILLIAN (DENNIS HOPPER) WHO WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO CARRY OUT HIS SINISTER PLOT OF REVENGE, AT THE COST OF KILLING THEM ALL, THEN YOU HAVE THE MAKINGS OF THE GREATEST THRILLER SINCE "THE PERILS OF PAULINE" EVER TO HIT THE SILVER SCREEN! THIS ONE IS BOUND TO BE A CLASSIC! AND THE ACTION DOESN'T STOP HERE WITH THE BUS!!!! IT GOES ON TO AN OUT-OF-CONTROL SUBWAY TRAIN TO SMASHING THRILLING ENDING YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS! HOPPER IS ONE YOU HATE SO MUCH, YOU CAN'T WAIT TO DIE, MUCH LIKE JASON ISSAC DID IN "THE PATRIOT" WITH MEL GIBSON! FILLED EXPLOSIVE SPECIAL-EFFECTS, HIGH OCTANE EXCITEMENT AND SUSPENCE AND THRILLS AND DANGER AROUND EVERY CORNER "SPEED" TAKES YOU ON THE WILDEST, UNBELIEVABLE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE!!!! IF YOU ARE A THRILL SEEKER LOOKING FOR HIGH OCTANE EXCITEMENT, THRILLS, DANGER, SPECIAL-EFFECTS AND EXPLOSION THAT WILL BLOW YOU AWAY, AND EDGE-OF-YOUR- SEAT SUSPENSE, THIS VIDEO IS FOR YOU! WIDESCREEN IS ALL THE BETTER TO CAPTURE THE MAGNITUDE OF THE WHOLE PICTURE!!!! UNCONCIEVABLE!!!! UNREALISTIC!!!! UNIMAGINABLE!!!! EXPLOSIVE!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Speed... Is it really what I need?
Review: Ok, when I watched it in the cinemas, it was great. The action was there, the intense feeling was there (its like "24", only its almost 2 hours long), you grip on to your seat, you scream and shout and its like "Keanu is so cool" and all... and it was the complete hit for everyone. I was hook even. But then comes the DVD Five Star Collection. Yes, the extras were there. Yes, some of the fun things about the making of the movie is there. The deleted scenes were necessary to be taken out from the movie and now you can watch it and say "thank you for taking it out, Mr. Editor" and most of all, the music video that isn't... well, anything exceptional. Still, one of the most irritating features for this collection was the interactive menus. I had a hard time pressing for the selected path I want to go. Worst even I had to push the arrow button a few times to get there. And the opening of the menu... the music really gets me on my nerves. All in all, yes I enjoyed the movie despite the flaws you can see while watching the movie. It can be part of your collection if you enjoy this movie... but then again, while watching one too many times, you might get tire of it. Still, a movie that makes Keanu looks cool... and that is before "The Matrix" even (which make him SUPER COOL!).
Rating: 
Summary: Unintentionally hilarious
Review: This movie is excellent - if you don't realise that it is supposed to be serious. If you think that it is a parody of action movies then it is great. Reeves' over the top deep macho voice is hilarious, and the women all cry and panic whilst the men all say "grrr" and make smart-alec quips - think Brad and Janet in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". The characters are extremely shallow and unbelievable - one minute Bullock is freaking out, and the next she is coyly flirting with Reeves. If you want intentional hilarious parody then I'd recommend "Rocky Horror" instead.
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