"Pop Quiz Hotshot" (Speed (DVD))

Member Name: Halasir

Product:	Speed (DVD)
Date:	05/04/09 (78 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great action, suspense and music

Disadvantages: None

Plot Summary:

The movie stars Keanu Reeves as Jack, an LAPD cop. The main opening scene is the scenario of a group business men and women, who are trapped in an elevator as an explosives expert has blow away the elevator cables and is now only supported by emergency breaks, which are also under threat by bombs. The bomber wants several million dollars or he blows the emergency breaks in a matter of minutes Jack, alongside his friend Harry, also an LAPD cop. Are sent to the trapped elevator to analyze the situation. Jack cleverly attaches a Crain hook to the elevator, and immediately after, the bomber, suspects someone's interference and blows the breaks.

Jack and Harry however manage to get all the hostages out of the elevator before the crane gives way. Jack suspects that the bomber knew he was up to something, and that he's close by. They manage to find him in freight elevator, but he manages to get the upper hand by taking harry hostage, soon after which he escapes the building, detonating he bomb strapped to his chest. Soon after the next day, Jack is horrified to see a Bus explode, close by, and he answers a ringing pay phone, to the disbelief of hearing the bomber's voice on the phone. He's planted a bomb on a bus, which is armed if it goes above 50mph, and denotes if it goes below 50mph. Once again, he's demanding several million dollars. Jack Heroically manages to get on the bus, but soon after the Driver is shot, forcing Annie (Sandra Bullock) to attempt to drive the bus. But with all the obstacles of the road, and knowing the bomber is somehow watching Jack's every move, and that he's not allowed by the bomber to try and get any passengers off the bus, is there any hope for Jack and the passengers?


My Opinion:

"Speed" is a great action film, with a great unique plot and is full of suspense, some offbeat comedy and some great action sequences. I particularly love the film's main theme tune, which really represents the tension of the film very well. Some great suspense filled scenes involve the bus trying to jump a 50 foot gap in a freeway and trying to attempt an insanely sharp turn without tipping the bus over. Sandra Bullock puts in a good performance and I find her character rather interesting, delivering her sparse humorous lines, very well.

Keanu Reeve's performance however, for me, is somewhat harder to judge. I really like his character in the film, and his work in general (especially "The Matrix"). But some of the lines he delivers in the film, just don't seem up to scratch and the tone of them in some scenes don't sound fully convincing. Though perhaps it's just some bad selection of dialog given to him for theses scenes. Regardless, he makes up for it simply with his presence and general voice and physical acting quality, and plays a very likeable and heroic character in the film. An example of the physical acting I like about him is when he is slowly following the bomber who has Harry hostage and is slowly backing away from Jack. Jack's stance of holding the gun and pointing it at the bomber and the way he walks as he's doing this really hits home for me. I just love the stance, it looks really cool and professional and is how he would have been trained by the LAPD.

Dennis Hopper also puts in a convincing performance as the bomber. I like the way that he doesn't portray the role as a complete merciless villain. Though he's obviously a little crazy, the role isn't over-acted, which makes him seem more human and I was able to relate to his simple desire of wanting money. In other words, he's not risking killing people for the fun of it, instead he's using terrorist-like threats to gain money which he feels is owed to him. In fact, all the characters put in really good acting performances especially Jack's police chief and the passengers on board the bus, who display a real insight of the disbelief and upset they feel for being unlucky enough to be on this particular bus.

The film's spontaneity is good, and it's never obvious what's going to happen next, which adds to the suspense. There are plenty of plot twists to enjoy. The sound effects are good, the music, though fairly limited by the main theme tune, is great, and the camera work, in particular the filming of the bus from different camera perspectives makes the film really enjoyable. I like the way the romance between Jack and Annie develops in an unobvious way. In most films, if the main character is a guy and there's a beautiful girl roped into the plot, is pretty obvious whether or not they're going to get together. But in this film, it really isn't obvious whether or not a romance between them is developing right until the end.

So in summary, great film, with great action and suspense, and I doubt many people would think this is a poor movie. You should find it pretty cheap to buy on DVD, and it even comes in a two-disc set also containing its sequel ("Speed 2") which is also a good one to watch. Highly recommend the film, its very well known and a popular classic choice.

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Stars: Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock
Running Time: 111 Mins
Age Rating: 15 (strong language, moderate violence)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
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Summary: Highly Recommended, should be a good investment of your time