Speed (1994 film) explained

Director:	Jan de Bont
Producer:	Mark Gordon
Cinematography:	Andrzej Bartkowiak
Editing:	John Wright
Music:	Mark Mancina
Studio:	Mark Gordon Company
Distributor:	20th Century Fox
Runtime:	116 minutes
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Budget:	$30–37 million^[1] ^[2]
Gross:	$350.4 million

Speed is a 1994 American action thriller film directed by Jan de Bont (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Graham Yost, and starring Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Joe Morton, and Jeff Daniels. It revolves around a bus that is rigged by an extortionist to explode if its speed falls below 50 miles per hour (80 km/h or 22.35 m/s).

The film premiered in Hollywood on June 7, 1994, and was released in the rest of the United States on June 10, 1994. It became critically and commercially successful, grossing $350.4 million on a $30–37 million budget, becoming the fifth-highest-grossing film of 1994 and winning two Academy Awards for Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Sound. Since its release, Speed has been regarded as one of the best action films of the 1990s. It solidified Reeves as an action film leading man and Bullock as a Hollywood leading actress. A sequel, which fared much worse critically and commercially, was released three years later on June 13, 1997, receiving criticism for Reeves' absence, setting, and is often regarded as one of the worst sequels and action films ever made. ^{[3] [4]}

Plot

LAPD SWAT officers Jack Traven and Harry Temple thwart an attempt to bomb an elevator filled with people for a $3 million ransom by an extortionist bomber. As they corner the bomber, he takes Harry hostage. Jack shoots Harry in the leg, forcing the bomber to release him. The bomber flees and detonates the bomb, seemingly killing himself. Jack and Harry are praised by Lieutenant "Mac" McMahon; Harry is promoted to Detective and both partners receive a medal. Having survived the incident, however, the bomber watches from TV. The next morning, a mass transit bus explodes from another bomb planted by the bomber. Contacting Jack, he explains that a third bomb is rigged on a different bus, which will arm once it reaches 50mph and detonate if it drops below 50.

The bomber also demands an updated ransom of $3.7 million and threatens to remote detonate the explosive if any passengers are offloaded. Jack races through freeway traffic and boards the bus, but the bomb is already armed. A felon on board, fearing Jack is about to arrest him, wildly discharges his gun, accidentally wounding Sam Silver, the bus driver. Another passenger, Annie Porter, takes over for Sam. When she tries to slow down so he can get help, Jack is forced to reveal the bomb to the passengers. Jack examines the bomb underneath the bus and calls Harry. The bus is cleared to drive on an unopened freeway section. Mac demands that they offload the passengers onto a flatbed trailer, but Jack warns him about the bomber's threat.

The bomber then calls Jack again. While being convinced to allow Sam to be offloaded for medical attention, the bomber detonates a smaller bomb after witnessing a passenger attempt to get off, killing her. When Jack learns part of the freeway is incomplete, he persuades Annie to accelerate so they can jump the gap. After narrowly succeeding, he directs her to Los Angeles International Airport, which has unobstructed runways. Meanwhile, Harry finds out the bomber is an Atlanta PD bomb squad officer named Howard Payne. Harry leads a SWAT team to Payne's home, but the property explodes, killing him and most of his team. In a last-ditch attempt to defuse the bomb, Jack goes under the bus on a towed sled, but when its tow line breaks from road debris, he accidentally punctures the fuel tank.

After the passengers grab him back aboard, Jack learns that Payne has been watching the passengers on a hidden surveillance camera, allowing him to be one step ahead at every moment. Mac has a local news crew record the transmission and rebroadcasts it in a loop to fool Payne while the passengers are offloaded onto an airport bus. Jack and Annie escape through a floor access panel before the empty bus collides with a Boeing 707 cargo plane and explodes. Jack and Mac head to Pershing Square to drop the ransom. Realizing that he has been fooled by the looped recording and that the LAPD are waiting for him, a furious Payne poses as a police officer to kidnap Annie and recover the ransom. Jack follows Payne into the Metro Red Line subway, and discovers that Annie has been fitted with an explosive vest rigged to a pressure-release detonator.

Payne hijacks a subway train, handcuffs Annie to a pole, and sets the train in motion while Jack pursues them. After shooting the controls and killing the train driver, Payne attempts a bribe with the money, but is enraged when a dye pack in the bag explodes, tainting the cash. A crazed Payne battles Jack on the train's roof and gains the upper hand, trying to strangle him. However, Jack pushes Payne's head up, and he is decapitated by an oncoming railway signal.

Jack deactivates Annie's vest, but Payne has the key and thus he cannot free her from the pole. Unable to slow the train since Payne shot the control panel, Jack accelerates it to jump the tracks; the train plows through a construction site and bursts onto Hollywood Boulevard and comes to a halt on the street. Unharmed, Jack and Annie share a kiss while a crowd looks on in amazement.

Production

Writing

Screenwriter Graham Yost was told by his father, Canadian television host Elwy Yost, about a 1985 film called Runaway Train starring Jon Voight, about a train that speeds out of control. The film was based on a 1963 concept by Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. Elwy mistakenly believed that the train's situation was due to a bomb on board. (Such a theme had in fact been used in a 1975 Japanese film, The Bullet Train.) After seeing the Voight film, Graham decided that it would have been better if there had been a bomb on board a bus with the bus being forced to travel at 20 mph to prevent an actual explosion. A friend suggested that this be increased to 50 mph.^[5] The film's end was inspired by the end of the 1976 film Silver Streak. Yost had initially named the film Minimum Speed reflecting on the plot element of the bus being unable to drop below a speed. He realized that using "minimum" would immediately apply a negative connotation to the title, and simply renamed it to Speed.^[6]

Yost's initial script would have the film completely occur on the bus; there was no elevator or subway scene, the bus would have driven around Dodger Stadium due to the ability to drive around in circles, and would have culminated with the bus running into the Hollywood Sign and destroying it.^[6] Upon finishing the script, Yost took his idea to Paramount Pictures, which expressed interest in green-lighting the film and chose John McTiernan to direct due to his blockbuster films Predator, Die Hard, and The Hunt for Red October. However, McTiernan eventually declined to do so, feeling the script was too much of a Die Hard retread, and suggested Jan De Bont, who agreed to direct because he had the experience of being the director of photography for action movies, including McTiernan's Die Hard and The Hunt for Red October. Michael Bay wanted to direct the film.^[7] Despite a promising script, Paramount passed on the project, feeling audiences would not want to see a movie which takes place for two hours on a bus, so De Bont and Yost then took the project to 20th Century Fox which also distributed Die Hard. Fox agreed to green-light the project on the condition there were action sequences in the film other than the bus. De Bont then suggested starting the film off with the bomb on an elevator in an office building, as he had an experience of being trapped in an elevator while working on Die Hard. Yost used the opening elevator scene to establish Traven as being clever enough to overcome the villain, comparable to Perseus tricking Medusa into looking at her own reflection.^[6] Yost then decided to conclude the film on a subway train to have a final plot twist not involving the action on the bus. Fox then immediately approved the project.^[6]

In preparing the shooting script, one unnamed author had revised Yost's script in a manner that Yost had called "terrible".^[6] Yost spent three days "reconfiguring" this draft.^[6] Jan de Bont brought in Joss Whedon a week before principal photography started to work on the script.^[8] According to Yost: "Joss Whedon wrote 98.9 percent of the dialogue. We were very much in sync, it's just that I didn't write the dialogue as well as he did."^[9] One of Whedon's contributions was reworking Traven's character once Keanu Reeves was cast. Reeves did not like how the Jack Traven character came across in Yost's original screenplay. He felt that there were "situations set up for one-liners and I felt it was forced—Die Hard mixed with some kind of screwball comedy." With Reeves' input, Whedon changed Traven from being "a maverick hotshot" to "the polite guy trying not to get anybody killed,"^[8] and removed the character's glib dialogue and made him more earnest.

Yost also gave Whedon credit for the "Pop quiz, hotshot" line.^[6] Another of Whedon's contributions was changing the character of Doug Stephens (Alan Ruck) from a lawyer ("a bad guy and he died", according to the writer) to a tourist, "just a nice, totally out-of-his-depth guy".^[8] Whedon worked predominantly on the dialogue, but also created a few significant plot points, like the killing of Harry Temple.^[8] Yost had originally planned for Temple to be the villain of the story, as he felt that having an off-screen antagonist would not be interesting. However, Yost recognized that there was a lot of work in the script to establish Temple as this villain. When Dennis Hopper was cast as Howard Payne, Yost recognized that Hopper's Payne readily worked as a villain, allowing them to rewrite Temple to be non-complicit in the bomb situation.^[6]

Casting

Jeff Speakman was originally attached to star in Speed when the project was under Paramount's management, but was dropped from the project when it was sold to 20th Century Fox.^[10] Stephen Baldwin, the first choice for the role of Jack Traven, declined the offer because he felt the character (as written in the earlier version of the script) was too much like the John McClane character from Die Hard. According to Yost, they had also considered Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Wesley Snipes, and Woody Harrelson.^[6] Director Jan de Bont ultimately chose Keanu Reeves to play Jack Traven after seeing him in Point Break. He felt that the actor was "vulnerable on the screen. He's not threatening to men because he's not that bulky, and he looks great to women".^[11] Reeves had dealt with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) before on Point Break, and said he noted their strong concern for human life, which he incorporated into Traven.^[11] The director did not want Traven to have long hair and wanted the character "to look strong and in control of himself".^[11] To that end, Reeves shaved his head almost completely. The director remembers, "everyone at the studio was scared shitless when they first saw it. There was only like a millimeter. What you see in the movie is actually grown in".^[11] Reeves also spent two months at Gold's Gym in Los Angeles to get in shape for the role.^[11]

For the character of Annie, Yost said that they initially wrote the character as African American and as a paramedic as to justify how she would be able to handle driving a speeding bus through traffic. The role was offered to Halle Berry but she declined the part.^[6] Berry would later regret the decision.^[12] Later, the character had then been changed to a driver's education teacher, and made the character more of a comic-relief sidekick to Jack, with Ellen DeGeneres in mind for the part.^[13] Instead, Annie became both Jack's sidekick and later love interest, leading to the casting of Sandra Bullock. Sandra Bullock came to read for Speed with Reeves to make sure there was the right chemistry between the two actors. She recalls that they had to do "all these really physical scenes together, rolling around on the floor and stuff."^[14] Meryl Streep and Kim Basinger were also offered the role of Annie but both declined.^[15] Anne Heche was offered the opportunity to consider the role.^[16]

Filming

Principal photography began on September 7, 1993, and completed on December 23, 1993, in Los Angeles. De Bont used an 80-foot model of a 50-story elevator shaft for the opening sequence.^[17] While Speed was in production, actor and Reeves's close friend River Phoenix died.^[11] Immediately after Phoenix died, de Bont changed the shooting schedule to work around Reeves and decided to give him scenes that were easier to do. "It got to him emotionally. He became very quiet, and it took him quite a while to work it out by himself and calm down. It scared the hell out of him", de Bont recalls.^[11] Initially, Reeves was nervous about the film's many action sequences, downright saying to de Bont "Oh, I'm not an action hero. I don't like it. I don't know how to do it.", which de Bont actually thought as an advantage feeling that the actor, like his character, "happened to be thrown into a situation that is not normal to him". As the shooting progressed, he became more involved with the stunts.^[18] He wanted to do the stunt in which Traven jumps from a Jaguar onto the bus himself, and rehearsed it in secret after de Bont disapproved. On the day of the sequence, Reeves did the stunt himself, terrifying de Bont in the process.

Eleven GM New Look buses (TDH-5303)^[19] and three Grumman 870 buses^[20] were used in the film's production. Two of them were blown up, one was used for the high-speed scenes, one had the front cut off for inside shots, and one was used solely for the "under bus" shots. Another bus was used for the bus jump scene, which was done in one take.^[21] The buses were painted in livery and colors approximating those of the Big Blue Bus serving Santa Monica, although the transit agency (Santa Monica Intercity Lines) and route (33 Downtown) were fictionalized for the film.^[19] One of the buses used for filming was sold at auction for in 2018.^[22]

Many of the film's freeway scenes were filmed on California's Interstate 105 and Interstate 110 at the stack interchange known today as the Judge Harry Pregerson Interchange, which was not officially open at the time of filming. While scouting this location, De Bont noticed big sections of road missing and told screenwriter Graham Yost to add the bus jump over the unfinished freeway to the script.^[17] In the scene in which the bus must jump across a gap in an uncompleted elevated freeway-to-freeway ramp while still under construction, a ramp was used to give the bus the necessary lift off so that it could jump the full fifty feet. The bus used in the jump was empty except for the driver, who wore a shock-absorbing harness that suspended him mid-air above the seat, so he could handle the jolt on landing, and avoid spinal injury (as was the case for many stuntmen in previous years that were handling similar stunts). The highway section the bus jumped over is the directional ramp from I-105 WB to I-110 NB (not the HOV ramp from I-110 SB to I-105 WB as commonly believed),^[23] and as the flyover was already constructed, a gap was added in the editing process using computer-generated imagery with the help of Sony Pictures Imageworks. A 2009 episode of MythBusters attempted to recreate the bus jump as proposed, including the various tricks that they knew were used by the filmmakers such as the ramp, and proved that the jump, as in the film, would never have been possible.^[24]

On a commentary track on the region 1 DVD, De Bont reports that the bus jump stunt did not go as planned. To do the jump, the bus had everything possible removed to make it lighter. On the first try the stunt driver missed the ramp and crashed the bus, making it unusable. This was not reported to the studio at the time. A second bus was prepared and two days later a second attempt was successful. But, again, things did not go as intended. Advised that the bus would only go about 20 feet, the director placed one of his multiple cameras in a position that was supposed to capture the bus landing. However, the bus traveled much farther airborne than anyone had thought possible. It crashed down on top of the camera and destroyed it. Luckily, another camera placed about 90 feet from the jump ramp recorded the event.

Filming of the final scenes occurred at Mojave Airport, which doubled for Los Angeles International Airport. The shots of the LACMTA Metro Red Line through the construction zone were shot using an 1/8 scale model of the Metro Red Line, except for the jump when it derailed.

The MD520N helicopter used throughout the film, registration N599DB, Serial LN024, was sold to the Calgary Police Service^[25] in 1995,^[26] where it was in use until 2006; it was then sold to a private owner.^[25]

Reception

Box office

Speed was released on June 10, 1994, in 2,138 theaters in the United States and Canada, and debuted at the number one position above The Flintstones and , grossing $14.5 million on its opening weekend.^{[27] [28]} It set opening records for Fox in Brazil with a gross of $669,725 and in South Africa with a gross of $267,140.^{[29] [30]} The film stayed in the number 1 spot for a week before being taken by Wolf.^[31] For its second weekend, it generated a total gross of $12.9 million.^[32] When The Lion King debuted on its third weekend, Speed continued to remain in second place.^[33] It spent eight consecutive weeks at number one in Australia and ten in Japan.^{[34] [35]} The film grossed $121.3 million in the United States and Canada and $229.2 million internationally for a worldwide total of $350.5 million, well above its $30–37 million production budget.^{[36] [1]} It would remain as Sandra Bullock's highest-grossing film until 2013 when Gravity surpassed it.^[37]

Critical response

Speed received rave reviews from critics.^[38] On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 95% based on 73 reviews, with an average rating of 8.10/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "A terrific popcorn thriller, Speed is taut, tense, and energetic, with outstanding performances from Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, and Sandra Bullock."^[39] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[40] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.^[41]

Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times gave the film four out of four stars and wrote, "Films like Speed belong to the genre I call Bruised Forearm Movies, because you're always grabbing the arm of the person sitting next to you. Done wrong, they seem like tired replays of old chase cliches. Done well, they're fun. Done as well as Speed, they generate a kind of manic exhilaration".^[42] Ebert also praised Hopper as "certainly the creepiest villain in the movies right now" and lauded Reeves's transition into a believable action star, after his earlier roles as "dreamy, sensitive characters". In his review for Rolling Stone magazine, Peter Travers wrote, "Action flicks are usually written off as a debased genre, unless, of course, they work. And Speed works like a charm. It's a reminder of how much movie escapism can still stir us when it's dished out with this kind of dazzle".^[43] In her review for The New York Times, Janet Maslin wrote, "Mr. Hopper finds nice new ways to convey crazy menace with each new role. Certainly, he's the most colorful figure in a film that wastes no time on character development or personality".^[44] Entertainment Weekly gave the film an "A" rating and Owen Gleiberman wrote, "It's a pleasure to be in the hands of an action filmmaker who respects the audience. De Bont's craftsmanship is so supple that even the triple ending feels justified, like the cataclysmic final stage of a Sega death match".^[45] Time magazine's Richard Schickel wrote, "The movie has two virtues essential to good pop thrillers. First, it plugs uncomplicatedly into lurking anxieties—in this case the ones we brush aside when we daily surrender ourselves to mass transit in a world where the loonies are everywhere".^[46] Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino named the film one of the twenty best films he had seen from 1992 to 2009.^{[47] [48]}

Entertainment Weekly magazine's Owen Gleiberman ranked Speed as 1994's eighth best film.^[49] The magazine also ranked the film eighth on their "The Best Rock-'em, Sock-'em Movies of the Past 25 Years" list.^[50] Speed also ranks 451 on Empire magazine's 2008 list of "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time".^[51]

Mark Kermode of the BBC recalled having named Speed his film of the month working at Radio 1 at the time of release, and stated in 2017, having re-watched the film for the first time in many years, that it had stood the test of time and was a masterpiece.^[52]

Home media

• On November 15, 1994, Fox Video released Speed on VHS and LaserDisc formats for the first time. Rental and video sales did very well and helped the film's domestic gross. The original VHS cassette was only available in standard 4:3 TV format at the time.
• On August 20, 1996, Fox Video re-released a VHS version of the film in widescreen alongside True Lies, The Abyss and The Last of the Mohicans, allowing the viewer to see the film in a similar format to its theatrical release.^[53]
• On November 3, 1998, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released Speed on DVD for the first time. The DVD contains the film in widescreen format but only has the film's theatrical trailer.^[54]
• A special collector's edition DVD was released on July 30, 2002, as part of Fox Home Entertainment's "Five-Star Collection" series.^[55] This THX certified DVD release included two commentaries (one with director Jan De Bont and another with writer Graham Yost and producer Mark Gordon), a DTS 5.1 audio track and various behind-the-scenes featurettes.^[56] Other special features included trailers, deleted scenes, galleries and a music video.^[57] This edition was re-released as part of Fox Home's "Award Series" on February 7, 2006.^[58]
• A Blu-ray Disc edition was released on November 14, 2006, being part of the first wave releases on the format from 20th Century Fox. This edition includes the two commentaries from the special collector's edition, a trivia track, the theatrical trailer and an interactive game.^[59]
• 20th Century Studios and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released the film on Ultra HD Blu-ray on May 4, 2021. This edition retains the commentaries and most of the special features from the 2002 special collector's edition.^{[60] [61]}

Accolades

Year-end lists

• 7th – Mack Bates, The Milwaukee Journal^[62]
• 7th – John Hurley, Staten Island Advance^[63]
• 9th – David Stupich, The Milwaukee Journal^[64]
• 9th – Joan Vadeboncoeur, Syracuse Herald American^[65]
• 9th – Michael Mills, The Palm Beach Post^[66]
• 9th – Dan Craft, The Pantagraph^[67]
• 9th – Christopher Sheid, The Munster Times^[68]
• 10th – Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Daily News^[69]
• 10th – Robert Denerstein, Rocky Mountain News^[70]
• Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Matt Zoller Seitz, Dallas Observer^[71]
• Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer^[72]
• Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Eleanor Ringel, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution^[73]
• Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Steve Murray, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution^[73]
• Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Jeff Simon, The Buffalo News^[74]
• Top 10 (not ranked) – Bob Carlton, The Birmingham News^[75]
• Best "sleepers" (not ranked) – Dennis King, Tulsa World^[76]
• "The second 10" (not ranked) – Sean P. Means, The Salt Lake Tribune^[77]
• Top 3 Runner-ups (not ranked) – Sandi Davis, The Oklahoman^[78]
• Honorable mention – Mike Clark, USA Today^[79]
• Honorable mention – Betsy Pickle, Knoxville News-Sentinel^[80]
• Honorable mention – Duane Dudek, Milwaukee Sentinel^[81]
• Honorable mention ("until the subway") – David Elliott, The San Diego Union-Tribune^[82]
• Dishonorable mention – Glenn Lovell, San Jose Mercury News^[83]

Awards

Association	Ceremony Date	Category	Recipient	Results
Awards Circuit Community Awards	1994	Best Stunt Ensemble	Gary Hymes Eddie Matthews William Morts Jimmy Ortega Brian Smrz
		Best Film Editing	John Wright
		Best Achievement in Sound	David McMillan
		Best Visual Effects	Boyd Shermis
		Honorable Mentions	Jan de Bont
Academy Awards	March 27, 1995	Best Film Editing	John Wright
		Best Sound	Gregg Landaker Steve Maslow Bob Beemer David MacMillan
		Best Sound Effects Editing	Stephen Hunter Flick
American Cinema Editors Awards	1995	Best Edited Feature Film	John Wright
BAFTA Awards	1995	Best Sound	Stephen Hunter Flick Gregg Landaker Steve Maslow Bob Beemer David MacMillan
		Best Special Visual Effects	Boyd Shermis John Frazier Ron Brinkman Richard E. Hollander
		Best Editing	John Wright
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards	1995	Favorite Actress - Action/Adventure	Sandra Bullock
BMI Film & TV Awards	1995	BMI Film Music Award	Mark Mancina
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards	1995	Most Promising Actress	Sandra Bullock
Cinema Audio Society Awards	1995	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Feature Films	Gregg Landaker Steve Maslow Bob Beemer David MacMillan
Edgar Allan Poe Awards	1995	Best Motion Picture	Graham Yost
Golden Camera Awards	1995	Golden Screen
Japan Academy Prize Awards	1995	Best Foreign Film
Jupiter Awards	1994	Best International Actress	Sandra Bullock
Motion Picture Sound Editors Awards	1995	Best Sound Editing - Sound Effects & Foley, Domestic Feature Film	Stephen Hunter Flick Donald Flick David E. Stone Eric Potter Paul Berolzheimer David Bartlett John Dunn Patricio A. Libenson Dean Beville John T. Cucci Ken Dufva Judee Flick Avram D. Gold Warren Hamilton, Jr. Greg Hedgepath Dean Manly Dan O'Connell Catherine Rowe Joan Rowe Kirk Schuler Bruce Stubblefield Solange S. Schwalbe
MTV Movie + TV Awards	June 10, 1995	Best Movie
		Best Male Performance	Keanu Reeves
		Best Female Performance	Sandra Bullock
		Best On-Screen Duo	Keanu Reeves Sandra Bullock
		Best Kiss
		Most Desirable Male	Keanu Reeves
		Most Desirable Female	Sandra Bullock
		Best Villain	Dennis Hopper
		Best Action Sequence - for the bus escape/airplane explosion
Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards	May 20, 1995	Favorite Movie
		Favorite Movie Actor	Keanu Reeves
		Favorite Movie Actress	Sandra Bullock
Nikkan Sports Film Awards	1995	Best Foreign Film
Saturn Awards	June 26, 1995	Best Action/Adventure-Thriller Film
		Best Director	Jan de Bont
		Best Actress	Sandra Bullock

American Film Institute recognition:

• 100 Years...100 Thrills: No. 99^[84]
• 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains:
  • Jack Traven & Annie Porter - Nominated Heroes
  • Howard Payne - Nominated Villain

Music

Soundtrack

A soundtrack album featuring "songs from and inspired by" the film was released on June 28, 1994, with the following tracks.^[85] The soundtrack was commercially successful in Japan, being certified gold by the RIAJ in 2002.^[86]

Score

In addition to the soundtrack release, a separate album featuring 40 minutes of Mark Mancina's score from the film was released on August 30, 1994, by 20th Century Fox Film Scores.^[87]

La-La Land Records and Fox Music released a limited expanded version of Mark Mancina's score on February 28, 2012.^[88] The newly remastered release features 69:25 of music spread over 32 tracks (in chronological order). In addition, it includes the song "Speed" by Billy Idol.^[88]

Sequel

See main article: Speed 2: Cruise Control. In June 1997, a sequel, Speed 2: Cruise Control, was released to negative reviews and disappointing box-office. Sandra Bullock agreed to star again as Annie, for financial backing for another project, but Keanu Reeves declined the offer to return as Jack. As a result, Jason Patric was written into the story as Alex Shaw, Annie's new boyfriend, with her and Jack having broken up due to her worry about Jack's dangerous lifestyle. Willem Dafoe starred as the film's villain John Geiger, and Glenn Plummer (who played Reeves's character's carjacking victim) also cameos as the same character, this time driving a boat that Alex takes control of. The film is considered one of the worst sequels of all time, scoring only 4% (based on 71 reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes.^[89]

Legacy

• MythBusters 2009 season tested the real-world viability of the film's bus jump scene.
• The film is parodied in the UK Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted, in the episode "Speed 3", where Father Dougal drives a booby-trapped milk float that will explode if its speed falls below 4 mph.
• In The Simpsons episode "The Springfield Files", the film is cited by Homer Simpson as the inspiration for his idea to use old CCTV footage to allow him and his friends to go drinking, though he believes it is called The Bus That Couldn't Slow Down.
• A hidden mission in Grand Theft Auto features the player having to drive a bus at speed, with the vehicle exploding in the event that it slows down too much.
• Mission "Publicity Tour" from was inspired by the movie. Also, a character named Steve Scott was voiced by Dennis Hopper.
• A clip of Speed is seen in the 2020 live-action/CGI film Sonic the Hedgehog, which the title character considers one of his favorite action films and even quotes some lines from the film.
• In the 2018 video game Spider-Man, Spider-Man can mention that a crime committed by the Demon Gang involving an armed bomb inside of a truck is similar to the plot of the film. In the voice line, he attempts to recall the name of the film, suggesting "Fastness" and "Super Quick".
• In 2018, the vehicle simulator BeamNG.drive released an update featuring a new campaign titled "Hustle and Bustle" inspired by the movie. The bomb detonates when the bus is driven with a speed under 55km/h for more than 10 seconds.
• A sequence in the 1997 anime film Detective Conan: The Time-Bombed Skyscraper involves a train on the city's "loop line" being threatened by bombs that will detonate should the speed of the train go under 60 kmph. The bombs are revealed to have sensors that react to sunlight, so each time a train passes over one at full speed, it does so with just enough time to reset the bombs countdown timers.
• Webcomic series Cyanide & Happiness made an animated short film named "Waiting for the Bus", a man who waits in bus stop starts to catch the bus because it doesn't slow down due to bomb on its board. The man succeeds to catch the bus and eventually becomes world's fastest man.

See also

• The Doomsday Flight, a 1966 TV-movie in which a bomb will explode if a plane descends to land.
• The Bullet Train, a 1975 film in which a bomb will explode on a train if its speed falls below 50 miles per hour.

Notes and References

1. News: Weinraub. Bernard. Hurtling to the Top: A Director Is Born. June 11, 1994. The New York Times. May 4, 2020. May 26, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150526103644/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/14/movies/hurtling-to-the-top-a-director-is-born.html. live.
2. Web site: Peter Bart: Hollywood Yearns For Budget-Bending Box Office Blast-Offs Of Former Summers. July 29, 2021. Peter. Bart. Peter Bart. Deadline Hollywood. August 8, 2021. August 11, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210811223215/https://deadline.com/2021/07/movie-box-office-lack-of-blockbusters-exhibition-industry-1234802269/. live.
3. Web site: 59 Worst Sequels of All Time . 2024-04-13 . en-US.
4. Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) - Awards - IMDb . en-US . 2024-04-13 . www.imdb.com.
5. Empire - Special Collectors' Edition - The Greatest Action Movies Ever (published in 2001)
6. 'Speed' 20th anniversary: Screenwriter Graham Yost looks back . Mandi . Bierly . June 10, 2014 . . May 25, 2019 . May 18, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190518002930/https://ew.com//article/2014/06/10/speed-20th-anniversary-graham-yost/ . live .
7. Web site: Exclusive: Michael Bay Breaks Down the Making of 'Ambulance' in 60-Minute Q&A and Answers Tons of Fan Questions. Steve. Weintraub. April 20, 2022. Collider. January 3, 2023. November 30, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221130050005/https://collider.com/michael-bay-ambulance-interview-transformers-the-rock-future-projects/. live.
8. News: Kozak. Jim. Serenity Now!. In Focus. August–September 2005. April 9, 2009. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110615162238/http://www.natoonline.org/infocus/05augustseptember/whedonuncut.htm. June 15, 2011.
9. News: O'Hare. Kate. The 'Bus Guy' triumphs. November 5, 2013. The Post-Star. June 6, 2003. November 25, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141125071414/http://poststar.com/lifestyles/the-bus-guy-triumphs/article_ed56cbf6-c5e4-5a8c-b922-0057031ae0a5.html. live.
10. Web site: The Art of Action: Episode 17 Jeff Speakman. YouTube. Scott Adkins. 41:30. 9 February 2021. November 15, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201115231433/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psO6_gwHtio&feature=youtu.be. live.
11. Gerosa. Melina. Speed Racer. Entertainment Weekly. June 10, 1994. 2020-03-17. November 11, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181111045051/https://ew.com/article/1994/06/10/keanu-reeves-next-action-star/. live.
12. Web site: Halle Berry Shares Which Role She Almost Took From Sandra Bullock (Exclusive) | Entertainment Tonight. www.etonline.com. April 30, 2019. January 3, 2023. January 3, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230103220227/https://www.etonline.com/halle-berry-shares-which-role-she-almost-took-from-sandra-bullock-exclusive-124372. live.
13. 'Speed' 20th anniversary: Screenwriter Graham Yost looks back. June 10, 2014. May 17, 2019. Bierly. Mandi. Entertainment Weekly. May 18, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190518002915/https://ew.com/article/2014/06/10/speed-20th-anniversary-graham-yost/. live.
14. Svetkey . Benjamin . Overdrive . . July 22, 1994 . November 11, 2022 . April 21, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090421110524/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,303034,00.html . live .
15. Web site: Sandra Bullock, Keanu Reeves and Jan de Bont look back at 'Speed' 20 years later. June 10, 2014. September 21, 2021. September 21, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210921230807/https://uproxx.com/hitfix/sandra-bullock-keanu-reeves-and-jan-de-bont-look-back-at-speed-20-years-later/. live.
16. Web site: Anne Heche on Being Blacklisted for Coming Out, Talks Differences Between Her & Ellen's Experiences . . August 12, 2022 . August 12, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220812210937/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm5OAYXzqiY . live .
17. News: McCabe. Bob. Speed. Empire. 121. June 1999.
18. Web site: Jan De Bont on Twister: "The Last Great Action Movie" . July 23, 2020 . Vulture . January 3, 2024 . January 24, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240124195719/https://www.vulture.com/2020/07/jan-de-bont-defends-the-practical-effects-in-twister.html . live .
19. Web site: Pop quiz, hot shot: What's the bus from 'Speed' worth at auction? . Strohl, Daniel . May 24, 2018 . Hemmings . 2 January 2022 . January 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220103005357/https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2018/05/24/pop-quiz-hot-shot-whats-the-bus-from-speed-worth-at-auction . live .
20. Web site: 1979 Grumman Flxible 870 ADB in "Speed, 1994" . IMCDb.org . April 6, 2013 . June 16, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130616230154/http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_6503-Grumman-Flxible-870-ADB-1979.html . live .
21. Dennis Hopper (host) . 1994 . The Making of 'Speed' . Documentary . . July 1, 2018 . September 21, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190921185218/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338225/ . live .
22. News: Speed Bus Goes for $102K at Auction, Can It Still Hit 55MPH? . Burwick, Kevin . June 10, 2018 . Movieweb . 2 January 2022 . January 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220103005356/https://movieweb.com/speed-movie-bus-auction-55mph/ . live .
23. Web site: Speed: Filming Locations - part 4. GJW. April 19, 2017. April 19, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170419193116/http://www.seeing-stars.com/Locations/Speed4.shtml. live.
24. Web site: 20 Reasons to Love Speed, 20 Years Later . Drew . Mackie . June 13, 2014 . January 19, 2018 . . January 20, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180120065912/http://people.com/celebrity/speed-movie-celebrates-20th-anniversary/ . live .
25. Web site: C-FCPS C-GCPS N599DB McDonnell Douglas MD520N C/N LN024. July 13, 2016. June 29, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210629200421/https://www.helis.com/database/cn/17665/. live.
26. Web site: Helicopter Air Watch for Community Safety HAWCS. Calgary Police. Service. January 24, 2013. July 13, 2016. August 26, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160826163625/http://www.calgary.ca/cps/Pages/Specialty-teams/Helicopter-Air-Watch-for-Community-Safety-HAWCS.aspx. live.
27. News: 'Speed' Drives to a Fast Start : Movies: The thriller passes 'The Flintstones,' while 'City Slickers II' gallops to third at the box office.. Los Angeles Times. 2012-06-02. May 6, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230506201333/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-06-13-ca-3654-story.html. live.
28. News: Horn . John . 'Speed' races to the front of box-office pack . https://web.archive.org/web/20230429203438/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-post-star-speed-races-to-the-front/120683269/ . June 15, 1994 . April 29, 2023 . April 29, 2023 . 11 . Associated Press . . . live.
29. Daily Variety. September 20, 1994. 'Clear' sailing in U.K.; 'Flintstones' wows Oz. 4. Groves. Don.
30. Variety. August 22, 1994. O'seas B.O. stuck in 'Stones' age. 13. Groves. Don.
31. News: Speed,' 'Wolf' battle at box office . 14 February 2022 . . 17 June 1994 . January 28, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220128195848/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/06/17/Speed-Wolf-battle-at-box-office/1181771825600/ . live .
32. News: 'Wolf' Tops Week's Films . https://web.archive.org/web/20231015181915/https://www.newspapers.com/article/tyler-morning-telegraph-wolf-tops-week/133492590/ . June 20, 1994 . October 15, 2023 . October 15, 2023 . 20 . . live.
33. News: Lion King' rules nation's box office . 13 February 2022 . . 27 June 1994 . February 13, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220213141317/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/06/27/Lion-King-rules-nations-box-office/8015772689600/ . live .
34. Variety. August 29, 1994. 14. International box office.
35. Variety. February 20, 1995. 12. 'Star Trek' fever hits German B.O.. Don. Groves.
36. News: Speed. Box Office Mojo. December 3, 2008. October 16, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161016163017/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=speed.htm. live.
37. 'Gravity' Rises to $500 Million at Worldwide Box Office . Stuart . Oldham . . November 16, 2013 . August 29, 2016 . September 10, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160910044050/http://variety.com/2013/film/news/gravity-rises-to-500-million-at-worldwide-box-office-1200842131/ . live .
38. Web site: 'Speed': THR's 1994 Review - The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter. June 10, 2019. August 31, 2021. August 31, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210831134016/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/speed-review-1994-movie-1195783/. live.
39. Web site: Speed (1994) . . June 1, 2023 . May 14, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190514123039/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/speed_1994/ . live .
40. Web site: Speed . . November 28, 2014 . February 8, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150208214015/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/speed . live .
41. Web site: CinemaScore . cinemascore.com . May 26, 2019 . December 20, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ . live .
42. News: June 10, 1994 . Ebert . Roger . Roger Ebert . Speed . . April 2, 2020 . April 4, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200404084058/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/speed-1994 . live .
43. June 30, 1994 . Travers . Peter . Peter Travers . Speed . . April 4, 2020 . July 24, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200724173220/https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/speed-89822/ . live .
44. News: Maslin . Janet . Janet Maslin . An Express Bus in a Very Fast Lane . . June 10, 1994 . April 6, 2020 . April 17, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190417101716/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/10/movies/review-film-an-express-bus-in-a-very-fast-lane.html . live .
45. Gleiberman. Owen. Speed. Entertainment Weekly. June 17, 1994. April 9, 2009. April 21, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090421095429/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,302664,00.html. dead.
46. Schickel. Richard. Brain Dead but Not Stupid. Time. June 13, 1994. April 9, 2009. May 16, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080516004528/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,980876,00.html. dead.
47. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv0WlHbBhdc Quentin Tarantino's Favourite Movies from 1992 to 2009...
48. Web site: Brown . Lane . Team America, Anything Else Among the Best Movies of the Past Seventeen Years, Claims Quentin Tarantino . Vulture . . August 17, 2009 . January 18, 2020 . February 13, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130213073053/http://www.vulture.com/2009/08/speed_and_team_america_among_q.html . live .
49. Gleiberman . Owen . Owen Gleiberman . The Best & Worst 1994/Movie . . December 30, 1994 . April 9, 2009 . November 6, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151106055357/http://www.ew.com/article/1994/12/30/best-and-worst-1994movies . live .
50. The Action 25: The Best Rock-'em, Sock-'em Movies of the Past 25 Years . . April 9, 2009 . February 17, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090217144632/http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20219939_17,00.html . dead .
51. News: The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time. Empire. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111116014925/https://www.empireonline.com/500/10.asp . 2011-11-16 . April 9, 2009 .
52. Web site: The Need for Speed. December 8, 2017. December 25, 2019. August 17, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200817225523/https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/markkermode/entries/08f701da-5bed-443c-996b-d6f471859f03. live.
53. News: King . Susan . 'Letterbox' Brings Wide Screen Home . https://web.archive.org/web/20230311215357/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107891272/letterbox-brings-wide-screen-home/ . August 16, 1996 . March 11, 2023 . March 11, 2023 . 96 . Times Staff Writer . . . live.
54. Web site: Speed DVD Release Date November 3, 1998 . Blu-ray.com . 8 May 2021 . May 10, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210510142854/https://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/Speed-DVD/5989/ . live .
55. News: Thomas . George M. . Sales of DVDs slowly pushing videocassettes closer to the finish. https://web.archive.org/web/20230527012502/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star-sales-of-dvds-slow/125373880/ . July 19, 2002 . May 27, 2023 . May 27, 2023 . 82 . Knight Ridder Newspapers . . . live.
56. Web site: Speed DVD Release Date July 30, 2002 . Blu-ray.com . 8 May 2021 . May 8, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210508045314/https://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/Speed-DVD/19411/ . live .
57. Web site: DVD Review - Speed: Five Star Collection. archive.thedigitalbits.com. April 1, 2022. September 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220912043759/http://archive.thedigitalbits.com/reviews2/speed5star.html. live.
58. Web site: Speed DVD Release Date February 7, 2006 . Blu-ray.com . 8 May 2021 . May 8, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210508050820/https://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/Speed-DVD/105816/ . live .
59. Web site: Press Release: Fox Announces Blu-ray Support - High-Def Digest . www.highdefdigest.com . 8 May 2021 . 31 August 2006 . May 8, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210508045315/https://www.highdefdigest.com/pressrelease_foxbluraylaunch.html . live .
60. Web site: Speed Races Onto 4K Blu-ray May 4th, No Word On Speed 2 Yet. March 20, 2021. June 11, 2023. June 11, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230611045726/https://bleedingcool.com/movies/speed-4k-blu-ray-may-speed-2-hopefully-soon/. live.
61. Web site: Speed Ultimate Collector's Edition 4K Blu-ray . Blu-ray.com . 8 May 2021 . 17 March 2021 . May 8, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210508050822/https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=28324 . live .
62. News: Bates. Mack. January 19, 1995. Originality of 'Hoop Dreams' makes it the movie of the year. The Milwaukee Journal. 3.
63. News: Hurley. John. December 30, 1994. Movie Industry Hit Highs and Lows in '94. Staten Island Advance. D11.
64. News: Stupich. David. January 19, 1995. Even with gore, 'Pulp Fiction' was film experience of the year. The Milwaukee Journal. 3.
65. News: Vadeboncoeur. Joan. January 8, 1995. Critically Acclaimed Best Movies of '94 Include Works from Tarantino, Burton, Demme, Redford, Disney and Speilberg. Syracuse Herald American. 16. Final.
66. News: Mills. Michael. December 30, 1994. It's a Fact: 'Pulp Fiction' Year's Best. The Palm Beach Post. 7. Final.
67. News: Craft. Dan. December 30, 1994 . Success, Failure and a Lot of In-between; Movies '94. The Pantagraph. B1.
68. News: Sheid. Christopher. December 30, 1994. A year in review: Movies. The Munster Times.
69. News: Strauss. Bob. December 30, 1994. At the Movies: Quantity Over Quality. Los Angeles Daily News. L6. Valley.
70. News: Denerstein. Robert. January 1, 1995. Perhaps It Was Best to Simply Fade to Black. Rocky Mountain News. 61A. Final.
71. News: Zoller Seitz. Matt. January 12, 1995 . Personal best From a year full of startling and memorable movies, here are our favorites . Dallas Observer.
72. News: Arnold. William. December 30, 1994. '94 Movies: Best and Worst. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 20. Final.
73. News: The Year's Best. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. December 25, 1994 . K/1.
74. Web site: Simon. Jeff. January 1, 1995. Movies: Once More, with Feeling. The Buffalo News. July 19, 2020. July 19, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200719132904/https://buffalonews.com/news/movies-once-more-with-feeling/article_b73e9a1a-9f60-5d7a-a05c-289243ba0483.html. live.
75. News: Carlton. Bob. December 29, 1994. It Was a Good Year at Movies. The Birmingham News. 12-01.
76. News: King. Dennis. December 25, 1994. SCREEN SAVERS In a Year of Faulty Epics, The Oddest Little Movies Made The Biggest Impact. Tulsa World. E1. Final Home.
77. News: P. Means. Sean. January 1, 1995. 'Pulp and Circumstance' After the Rise of Quentin Tarantino, Hollywood Would Never Be the Same. The Salt Lake Tribune. E1. Final.
78. Web site: Davis. Sandi. January 1, 1995. Oklahoman Movie Critics Rank Their Favorites for the Year "Forrest Gump" The Very Best, Sandi Declares. The Oklahoman. July 20, 2020. July 20, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200720065431/https://oklahoman.com/article/2488350/oklahoman-movie-critics-rank-their-favorites-for-the-year-forrest-gump-the-very-best-sandi-declares. live.
79. News: Clark. Mike. December 28, 1994 . Scoring with true life, 'True Lies' and 'Fiction.'. USA Today. 5D. Final.
80. News: Pickle. Betsy. December 30, 1994. Searching for the Top 10... Whenever They May Be. Knoxville News-Sentinel. 3.
81. News: Dudek. Duane. December 30, 1994. 1994 was a year of slim pickings. Milwaukee Sentinel. 3.
82. News: Elliott. David. December 25, 1994. On the big screen, color it a satisfying time. The San Diego Union-Tribune. 1, 2. E=8.
83. News: Lovell. Glenn. December 25, 1994 . The Past Picture Show the Good, the Bad and the Ugly -- a Year Worth's of Movie Memories. San Jose Mercury News. 3. Morning Final.
84. Web site: AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills . April 6, 2013 . November 19, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121119133158/http://www.afi.com/Docs/tvevents/pdf/thrills100.pdf . live .
85. Web site: Speed: Songs From And Inspired By The Motion Picture (Soundtrack). Amazon. May 4, 2011. June 29, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210629200419/https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000005LC1. live.
86. GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 2002年2月度 . Gold Albums, and other certified works. February 2002 Edition . The Record . Bulletin . ja . April 10, 2002 . 509 . 13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140117061816/http://www.riaj.or.jp/issue/record/2002/200204.pdf . January 17, 2014 . January 22, 2014.
87. Web site: Speed: Original Motion Picture Score (Soundtrack). Amazon. 1994 . May 4, 2011. June 29, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210629200420/https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000002VI8. live.
88. Web site: SPEED: LIMITED EDITION . 2022-10-19 . La-La Land Records . en . October 19, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221019212004/https://lalalandrecords.com/speed-limited-edition/ . live .
89. Web site: Speed 2 - Cruise Control . Flixster . Rotten Tomatoes . August 4, 2013 . August 8, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130808002848/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/speed_2_cruise_control/ . live .