Day 20 -- Speed

Released: June 10th, 1994

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Dennis Hopper, Jeff Daniels, Alan Ruck

Writer/Director: Graham Yost/Jan de Bont

Description: A young cop must prevent a bomb exploding aboard a city bus by keeping its speed above 50 mph.

[Review may contain spoilers. Please watch movie before reading, unless you don't care. Most of these films have already been released for a while, so they should be readily available.]

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There was a time in cinema where great action movies thrived. The early-80s to the mid-90s were the golden age with films such as "Die Hard", "First Blood", "Predator" and "Terminator 1 and 2". A time when action films had some semblance of a plot, and weren't an excuse for giant CG set pieces (Cough*Michael Bay*Cough).

While "Speed" doesn't reach the level of those previously mentioned, it holds its own and still sucks me in when it comes on TV. It has three simple things that a great action movie needs: a plausible story (more Dennis Hopper's motivation than the bomb on a bus), pure moments of comedy, and good cat and most game between the protagonist and antagonist. Reeves and Hopper create a nice brains versus brawn dynamic that really drives the action.

Reeves is in his heyday here, starting with "Point Break" in 1991 and concluding with "Matrix" in 1999. He is terrific in this movie, and gives off a John McClane vibe with his performance as Jack Traven. It's too bad he didn't make it back for the sequel, I guess he was too busy making that classic film "The Devil's Advocate". Sure, "Speed 2" was terrible, but with the roll he was on I'm sure Reeves would have at least make it mediocre, and Jack Traven could have been a household name like Rambo, McClane, and the Terminator.

Obviously, there were a couple of completely implausible stunts, but at least they were live action. The first, which the Mythbusters disproved, was the bus making a 50-foot leap while going 70-MPH uphill, and the second was the Subway jumping the tracks and them not getting a scratch. But bending reality is what makes these pure action movies fun to watch. It's much different when the stunts are done by a computer and completely look impossible; I much prefer the natural way.

Yet, these movies would be irrelevant if there wasn't a great villain, and I believe Hopper's Howard Payne is the most underrated of the genre. He's smart, cunning and vindictive while being full of hubris, which is needed in these films. Payne's enjoyment of torturing Traven is something that only Hopper could pull off. Only a few actors can look creepy and terrifying at the same time. Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter is the best example for the type of evil. 

Without Hopper's contrast to Reeves' white knight hero, the movie is just about explosions. It's a shame that the performance gets lost behind the 'oh, yeah, the movie about the bus that can't go under 50 or a bomb explodes' memories most people have of the movie.

Rating: 7/10 -- Top notch action flick with good performances from Reeves, Hopper, and a young Sandra Bullock. This movie should be included within any action movie marathon. Wish the work done by the actors would be noticed more than the main plot device.