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Speed
Rated '15' by the
BBFC for some, strong violence and language.
Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock
Version Reviewed-
VHS
Speed has become known by many as one of the greatest action movies
of all time, and while the sequel never even touches it for quality, this
classic action thriller manages to introduce a very original slant to the
tried-and-tested 'hostage movie' formula.
Of course, as with
any good action film, the thrills just keep pouring through the viewer's
television screen right from the outset, with colossal explosions, violent
gunfights, unexpected twists and a very silly, but somehow still
believable plot. .
The plot follows
Jack Traven, a cop with something of a reputation among his fellow workers
and, needless to say, at least one or two revenge-thirsty criminals. After
foiling a psychotic maniac's plan to murder an elevator-full of people and
come away with a little more than a pocket-full of money, Jack finds that
the mental killer (Dennis Hopper, of Hannibal fame) is not dead
after all, as he once thought.
After a gigantic explosion completely destroys a bus, along with the
driver, Jack soon receives a telephone call after witnessing the
horrifying event. Amongst a barrage of sick, twisted jokes cracked by
Mr.Psycho, Jack finds that he has planted another bomb on a different bus.
And so starts the game...
The Rules:
The bus is armed with a bomb more than capable of killing everyone on
board,
once the bus reaches 50mph, the bomb is armed,
if the bus' speed drops below 50 from there onwards, it is blown sky-high,
along with everyone on it,
nobody is allowed to get off the bus, but people may get on,
if anyone attempts to get off the bus, you guessed it, it explodes.
In order to keep the maniac from detonating the bomb, a very large sum of
money must be delivered to him as soon as possible, or everyone dies...
After some very exciting traffic-weaving performed by the lovely
Sandra Bullock, it soon becomes apparent that speeding this fast in a bus
is sure going to *SPOILER!!!!!* eat some fuel, and following the puncture
of the fuel tank (Thank you very much, Jack Traven), they eventually begin
to slow down, and slowing down means the end...
As a film, speed is original, exciting, and above all, a very
entertaining 2 hours of viewing, and is now available relatively cheap on
a 'special edition' DVD (Version reviewed is VHS).
It's worth buying alone for the hilarious scene in the flashy convertable,
but it's worth watching over and over for the rollercoaster of a plot and
non-stop tension. Fantastic.
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