Overview
Speed is a 1994 American action film directed by Jan de Bont in his feature film directorial debut. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Joe Morton, and Jeff Daniels. Its story revolves around a bus that is rigged by a terrorist to explode if its speed falls below 50 miles per hour.
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. The film also solidified Reeves as an action movie leading man. A sequel, Speed 2: Cruise Control, was released three years later on June 13, 1997, without Reeves' involvement. David Edelstein considered it to be the worst sequel of all time.
Plot
LAPD SWAT bomb disposal officers Jack Traven and Harry Temple thwart an attempt to bomb an elevator filled with people for a $3 million ransom by Howard Payne, an extortionist bomber. As they corner Payne, he takes Harry hostage. Jack shoots Harry in the leg, forcing the bomber to release him. Payne flees and detonates the bomb, seemingly killing himself. A few days later, Jack and Harry are praised by Lieutenant "Mac" McMahon, and Harry is promoted. Having survived the incident, however, Payne watches from afar. The next morning, a mass transit bus explodes from a bomb planted by Payne. Contacting Jack, he explains that a similar bomb is rigged on another bus, which will arm once it reaches and detonate if it drops below 50.
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