Los Angeles SWAT cop Jack Traven is up against bomb expert Howard Payne, who's after major ransom money. First it's a rigged elevator in a very tall building. Then it's a rigged bus--if it slows, it will blow, bad enough any day, but a nightmare in LA traffic. And that's still not the end.
The deft arabesques of cinematographer Andrzej Bartkowiak juice up the suspense, and if you're not too put off by the sheer ridiculousness of the story you won't be bored.
– Jonathan Rosenbaum,
Chicago Reader,
30 Jul 2013
fresh:
Action directing is a put-up-or-shut-up game, a skill that can't be faked or finessed; even a 10-year-old can tell if you've got it or not. And on the evidence of the invigorating Speed, Jan De Bont has definitely got it.
– Kenneth Turan,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jul 2013
fresh:
Believe it or not, the most exciting movie of the year takes place mainly in an elevator, on a city bus and on a train car.
– Jay Boyar,
Orlando Sentinel,
30 Jul 2013
fresh:
A riotously enjoyable locomotive of action, Speed is driven by a premise of such crystalline purity that its ridiculousness becomes part of the fun.
– Jeff Shannon,
Seattle Times,
30 Jul 2013
fresh:
De Bont has assembled it with masterly precision. And Speed looks terrific. There are breathtaking aerial shots, mind-boggling stunts, and camera positioning that you just don't expect. It's a rocketing eyeful.