There are plenty of classic, reliable, objectively good action movies out there that have had a great impact the way action movies are made and judged. Yet the problem with some of these movies is that most people have either already seen them, or they’ve heard so many spoilers that they no longer feel an exciting urge to watch them. In part, it’s the suspense and anticipation that makes action movies so great, right? With the 1994 action movie Speed, you don’t have to deal with the aforementioned problems, because to my dismay, Speed is not as talked about as other classic action movies. This is one of several reasons why I firmly believe that Speed is the best action movie of all time. 

In simple terms, Speed’s premise goes like this: a madman plants a bomb on a bus for a $3M ransom- if the bomb goes under 50mph, it’ll explode. If anyone tries to get off, it’ll explode. Calling this a stressful situation would be one hell of an understatement. The reason Speed’s simple premise works so well is that it doesn’t hinder you from the main objective of the movie; there’s nothing confusing that prompts you hit to the pause or rewind buttons, which ultimately results in the loss of momentum in the cinematic experience. In other words, the lack of complicated elements in the plot allows you to fully understand it from start to finish. You might be thinking- shouldn’t a great action movie get your gears grinding? To that I say, not necessarily. Speed is indeed a mental workout but less in an intellectual, multi-interpretational way and more in a high-intensity, adrenaline rush way. 

This brings me to my next point- the adrenaline rush! Speed takes the three-act plot setup very literally as it can be split up into three separate, yet interconnected, events with different settings and circumstances that are each so incredibly crazy and intense in their own way.

The movie opens up with a high-stakes elevator rescue where we’re introduced to our protagonist, played by Keanu Reeves, LAPD officer Jack Traven. Along with him, we meet our ex-cop villain, Howard Payne (played by Dennis Hopper) and Jack’s partner Harry Temple (played by Jeff Daniels). Howard Payne rigs the emergency brakes of an elevator full of people in a building in LA, and he demands $3M or else he’ll cause the elevator to drop and the hostages will die.

Next, is the epic bus chase portion which takes up most of the run time and is the defining trait that people know Speed by. Here we are introduced to Annie, played by Sandra Bullock, who must take control of the bus with the encouragement of Jack. The tension between the passengers, no longer oblivious to the presence of an armed bomb on their bus, adds to the already very present urgent tone of the movie itself.

It closes out with a segment where there are no brakes on the train that they are on, and it speeds completely out of control. There’s also a thrilling fight scene at the top of the train with Jack and Howard. What do these three sequences all have in common? A recurring theme of entrapment! Whether in the elevator, bus, or train, there is the same sense of “ahhh there’s no way out!” This consistency along with the two hour adrenaline rush is part of what makes Speed so great. 

Additionally, the actors deliver such realistic performances that force you to think of what you would do if you were in their shoes, which is certainly the sign of a job well done. Their reactions to the twists and turns of the given scenarios cause the viewer to sympathize to such an extent that further heightens the pre-existing tension. The banter between Jack and Annie in between moments of pure fear are especially significant in driving the chemistry between them, although their budding romance is never the main focus of the movie. The late film critic Roger Ebert said of Dennis Hopper’s performance, ““Hopper’s dialogue has been twisted into savagely ironic understatements that provide their own form of comic relief.”

These have been some of the factors that immediately come to mind when I think of why I love this movie so much. I implore you to watch this movie and see for yourself; I promise you won’t regret it.