Taglines: Get ready for rush hour.
Speed movie storyline. Los Angeles SWAT officers Jack Traven and Harry Temple thwart an attempt by a bomber to hold an elevator full of people for a $3 million ransom. They corner the bomber, but as he grabs Harry, Jack shoots Harry in the leg, forcing the bomber to release him. The bomber turns away, appearing to die in the explosion of his own device. Jack and Harry are praised by their superior, Lieutenant “Mac” McMahon, and awarded medals for bravery.
Some time later, Jack sees a city bus explode. The bomber from the elevator then contacts Jack, letting him know that he is alive and explaining that a similar bomb is rigged on another bus and will be armed once the bus reaches 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) and will blow up when the speed decreases below 50 mph. The bomber demands a larger ransom of $3.7 million and threatens to detonate the bus if passengers are offloaded.
Jack races through traffic and manages to catch up to the bus, but it is already moving over 50 mph. He manages to board the bus and explains the situation to the driver, Sam, and everyone aboard, but a small-time criminal fires his gun, accidentally wounding Sam. Another passenger, Annie Porter, takes Sam’s place behind the wheel. Jack examines the bomb under the bus and phones Harry, who uses clues to identify the bomber.
The police clear a route for the bus to the unopened 105 freeway. Mac demands they offload the passengers onto a pacing flatbed truck, but Jack warns about the bomber’s instructions. The bomber allows the officers to offload the injured Sam for medical attention, but detonates a small bomb to kill a passenger who attempts to escape.
Jack learns that part of the elevated freeway ahead is incomplete, but persuades Annie to accelerate the bus and jump the gap. Jack then directs Annie to nearby Los Angeles International Airport to drive on the runways. Meanwhile, Harry identifies the bomber as Howard Payne, a retired Atlanta bomb squad officer with a local address, and takes a SWAT team there. However, the house is rigged with explosives, killing Harry and his team.
Jack rides under the bus on a towed sledge, but he cannot defuse the bomb, and the fuel tank gets punctured. Once pulled back aboard by the passengers, Jack learns that Harry has been killed and that Payne has been watching the bus the entire time with a hidden camera. Mac gets a local news crew to record the transmission and rebroadcast it in a continuous loop, to fool Payne while the passengers are offloaded onto an airport bus before all the fuel leaks out. The bus suffers a flat tire, forcing Jack and Annie to escape via a floor access panel. The empty bus slows to 50 mph and explodes just as it reaches an empty Boeing 707 cargo plane.
Speed is a 1994 American action thriller film directed by Jan de Bont in his feature film directorial debut. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Joe Morton, Alan Ruck, and Jeff Daniels. It became a surprise critical and commercial success, winning two Academy Awards, for Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing, at the 67th Academy Awards in early 1995. The film tells the story of an LAPD cop who tries to rescue civilians on a city bus rigged with a bomb programmed to explode if the bus slows down.
Speed (1994)
Directed by: Jan de Bont
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Joe Morton, Alan Ruck, Jeff Daniels, Glenn Plummer, Beth Grant, Richard Lineback, Carlos Carrasco
Screenplay by: Graham Yost
Production Design by: Jackson De Govia
Cinematography by: Andrzej Bartkowiak
Film Editing by: John Wright
Costume Design by: Ellen Mirojnick
Set Decoration by: K.C. Fox
Art Direction by: John R. Jensen
Music by: Mark Mancina
MPAA Rating: R for violence and language.
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: June 10, 1994
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