This summer, MovieJawn is counting down our 25 favorite action movies of all time! We will be posting a new entry each day! See the whole list so far here.

by Fiona Underhill, Staff Writer

We may now think of him as high-powered assassin John Wick, but Keanu Reeves doesn’t look like a natural action star–he’s tall and gangly and has an awkward lolloping gait. But way back in 1991, Kathryn Bigelow made the genius move of casting the soulful, soft-spoken indie movie actor as an LA-based FBI agent who goes undercover and infiltrates a gang of surfing bank robbers in Point Break. And in 1994, Reeves returned to LA law enforcement–but this time, there is a bomb…on a bus. Point Break and Speed (dir. Jan de Bont) are my two favorite action movies of all time; it just doesn’t get better than the ethereal beauty of a young Reeves taking on bad guys via surfboards, parachutes, elevators, buses, subway trains, exploding planes…and even on foot. Considering that they’re both LA movies, refreshingly, cars and car chases barely feature.

I have rewatched both of these movies many times over the years, and they took on even more of a thrill for me after I moved to LA from England in 2016. Speed being based around public transport became even funnier, and the thought of maintaining a speed of over 50 miles an hour on freeways and surface streets became infinitely more stressful. I leap at any chance I get to revisit the gorgeous Sandy Bullock and Cool Breeze Reeves slowly falling in love over the giant steering wheel of a speeding silver LA city bus. Join me in my most recent rewatch to find out everything I discovered from a beloved favorite that I’m still delighted by every single time.

The opening titles appear as an elevator descends, and the sinister, foreboding music is more suited to a horror or thriller movie than the action spectacular we’re about to embark on. However, they segue into the taut opening section, dominated by Dennis Hopper’s unhinged performance brilliantly.
One of the elevator ‘hostages’ is played by Patrick Fischler–best known as the man taken behind a diner to be horrified by the hobo (Bonnie Aarons) in Mulholland Drive (dir. David Lynch, 2001)!
Reeves’ Jack Traven is kind of a gum-chewing asshole during the elevator sequence, but one of the main strengths of Speed is how endearing he becomes on the bus–which is probably mainly in response to Annie (Bullock).
It’s not actually Hopper who first says “pop quiz;” it is in fact Jeff Daniels’ Harry, who says it to Jack about a theoretical hostage situation. Jack’s immediate instinct is to kill the fictional hostage, which is called back both with Harry and with Annie later in the movie. This screenplay is fire!
Speaking of Graham Yost’s screenplay, the First Act (Elevator Sequence) takes up about 25 minutes. The film’s three-act structure may seem simple, but that’s the genius behind this movie. Each act builds to a thrilling conclusion, but the next act still manages to up the ante. The audience are along on this wild ride from the start, unable to get off this unstoppable juggernaut.
On the day of Speed’s main act, Keanu is inexplicably wearing no less than three shirts in sunny Los Angeles weather. This is madness.
Thirty minutes in: “There’s a bomb…on a bus.” Here we go, bitches! Hold onto your butts!
All of the character actors populating the bus are wonderful. Everyone knows Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller, Twister, Spin City, Succession) of course, but I was also excited to notice one of the rugby playing cannibals from Alive (dir. Frank Marshall, 1993) as well. Hey–I’m here to point out all those niche fun facts you may have missed!
The MVP of the bus is of course, Beth “Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion!” Grant.
Another amazing performance is by Glenn Plummer, who plays ‘Tuneman’ the driver of the convertible Jaguar which Keanu hijacks in order to board the bus. When I first saw those yellow water butts on the freeway in LA in real life, I got very excited.
The advertisement on the side of the bus saying “Good Vibrations” is a great joke.
Once the bus passes 50 mph, it would immediately get into a freeway traffic jam in LA in real life. But this is why we love Speed.
Hopper’s Howard Payne (frankly, a rubbish villain name) using his retirement gold watch as the timer on the bomb is sooooooo extra.
Keanu (sorry, Jack, whatever) calls Annie “Ma’am” every time he speaks to her at first, which is extremely charming and would make me melt. Even though she’s clearly a Miss!
The role of the news choppers (an LA institution) in Howard’s scheme is another amazing feature of the screenplay, with Payne calling his manipulations “interactive TV.” This commentary on the complicity of the media in crime/policing–and their ouroboros relationship with one another–was ahead of its time and can obviously be seen more recently in the likes of Nightcrawler (dir. Dan Gilroy, 2014).
Ruck’s hair being magnificently blown out is so funny, as is his disappointment at being a newly-arrived tourist in LA, only to be returned to LAX: “I’ve already seen the airport.”
1 hour 20 minute mark: Daniels’ Harry arrives at Howard’s house only to realize that it’s been rigged to blow. He does the best “I’m absolutely screwed and there’s nothing I can do about it” face of all time before boom.
The ransom drop-off point is Pershing Square! I’ve been there! Lovely spot.
Another great joke I just noticed for the first time: behind Keanu’s head, by the front door to the bus, we see a sign that says, “To avoid personal injury, do not stand in stepwell.” This is the spot where Beth was blown up when she tried to exit the bus.
Sandy Bullock has the best and most ‘90s outfit of all time: short, flowery dress, gray tank top, and boots. She also has a mouth full of very normal looking teeth in this movie, which she’s definitely since had ‘fixed’ with Hollywood veneers–a shame!
1 hour 30 minute mark: bus (and plane!) go boom. I would love to know how many people were injured/killed and the cost of all of the property damage to save this one bus full of people.
Final Act (Subway Train Sequence): Speaking of collateral damage, one of the best supporting actor moments is the late entry of Richard Schiff (Toby Ziegler!) as the subway train driver. He doesn’t last long.
Okay, so after the freeway not being completed (leading to the famous bus jump), we now have the train track not completed either. I’ll allow it!
And the runaway subway car comes to a stop right next to Grauman’s Chinese Theater–if only Ruck’s tourist could have been there.
This movie ends with Sandy on top of Keanu, a long-awaited kiss, and the last line is Keanu telling her; “Whatever you say, Ma’am.” HOT! Movies used to be sexy and a fun time! Imagine!