Speed (Film Review)

1994 20th Century Fox
Directed by: Jan de Bont; Written by: Graham Yost
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Joe Morton, and Jeff Daniels
MPAA Rating: R; Running Time: 116 Minutes
The Nicsperiment Score: 10/10

There's a bomb on a bus. If the bus drives under 50 miles-per-hour, the bomb will explode, killing everyone inside. Only SWAT officer, Jack Traven, can stop it. Go.
Few if any films have a plot that can be summed up as fast as 1994's Speed. With a concept this pure, there's plenty of room for filmmaker error, but former ace cinematographer, Jan de Bont, directs this movie like his life depends upon it. Using a style that blends a sort of "you are there" cinéma vérité with more classical cinematic framing, de Bont tells this story and reveals his characters through non-stop action, hitting the jackpot with every frame. As Jack Traven, Keanu Reeves turns in a trademarked stoic, yet vulnerable performance, as a badass hero who follows his instincts above anything else. Meanwhile, Sandra Bullock becomes a star over these very 116 minutes, as a license-revoked passenger who's forced to drive the bus. Dennis Hopper, Joe Morton, and Jeff Daniels round out the cast as the unhinged villain, the highly competent police lieutenant, and Traven's injured, but reliable partner, respectively, and quite respectably. The action, performances, and cracking filmmaking are all set to a magnificently pulse-pounding Mark Mancina score. This is action movie perfection, 116 minutes of flawless filmmaking, a landmark of 90's cinema, an ageless masterpiece.