Speed (1994)

NEUTRAL

Various

86%

1994, Action, 1h 55m

RT Critics’ Score: 94% (UNBIASED)
RT Audience Score: 76%
Awards & Nominations: Won 2 Oscars
20 wins & 20 nominations total

Click to Stream

Critics Consensus

A terrific popcorn thriller, Speed is taut, tense, and energetic, with outstanding performances from Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, and Sandra Bullock

Audience Consensus

Speed is the kind of movie that makes you want to jump on a bus and hope for the best. With non-stop action and a premise that’s so ridiculous it’s genius, it’s no wonder this movie has stood the test of time. Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock have amazing chemistry, and the stunts are so mind-boggling you’ll be on the edge of your seat the entire time. It’s the perfect movie to watch when you want to turn off your brain and just enjoy the ride.

Storyline

When a young Los Angeles police department, Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T.) officer called Jack Traven angers retired Atlanta police department bomb squad member Howard Payne, by foiling his attempt at taking hostages stuck in an elevator with a bomb, Payne in retaliation arms a bus with a bomb that will explode if it drops below 50 miles per hour. With the help of spunky passenger Annie, Jack and his partner Detective Harry Temple try to save the people on the bus before the bomb goes off, while also trying to figure out how Payne is monitoring them.

Production Company(ies)
C J Entertainment, Moho Film Yong Film

Distributor
20th Century Fox, Fox

Release Type
Theatrical

Filming Location(s)
Los Angeles International Airport – 1 World Way, Los Angeles, California, USA

MPAA / Certificate
(Rated R for violence and language)

Year of Release
1994

Technical Specs

Color:

Color
Sound mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos
Aspect ratio:

2.39 : 1
Runtime:

1h 55m
Language(s):

English
Country of origin:

United States
Release date:

Release Date (Theaters): Jun 10, 1994 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 3, 1998

Genre(s)
Action

Keyword(s)
starring Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Joe Morton, Jeff Daniels, Alan Ruck, directed by Jan de Bont, written by Graham Yost, action, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Ty Burr, David Hunter, Steven Rea, Jeff Shannon, Jay Boyar, Kenneth Turan, Allison Rose, Douglas Davidson, Eddie Harrison, Mike Massie, Sean Collier, R-rated, Los Angeles police officer, bomb squad, hostages, revenge, bus, bomb, 50 miles per hour, spunky passenger, Lt Herb ‘Mac’ McMahon, Stephens, Mark Gordon, 20th Century Fox, Fox, Stereo, Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround

Box Office Details

Worldwide gross: $350,448,145
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $709,000,535
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 172
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 77,317,398

US/Canada gross: $121,248,145
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $245,300,199
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 265
US/Canada opening weekend: $14,456,194
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $29,246,693
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 477

Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $30,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $60,693,761
Production budget ranking: 669
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $32,683,590
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $615,623,183
ROI to date (est.): 659%
ROI ranking: 189

Cast & Crew

Keanu Reeves

Dennis Hopper

Sandra Bullock

Joe Morton

Jeff Daniels

Officer Jack Traven

Howard Payne

Annie Porter

Lt. Herb ‘Mac’ McMahon

Det. Harold ‘Harry’ Temple

Keanu Reeves – Officer Jack Traven
Dennis Hopper – Howard Payne
Sandra Bullock – Annie Porter
Joe Morton – Lt. Herb ‘Mac’ McMahon
Jeff Daniels – Det. Harold ‘Harry’ Temple
Alan Ruck – Stephens

Jan de Bont

Graham Yost

Mark Gordon

Director

Writer

Producer

Director(s)
Jan de Bont

Writer(s)
Graham Yost

Producer(s)
Mark Gordon

Film Festivals

Awards & Nominations
Won 2 Oscars
20 wins & 20 nominations total

Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Sound Editing Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Sound Mixing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners

Top Reviews

Ty Burr

David Hunter

Steven Rea

Jeff Shannon

Jay Boyar

Entertainment Weekly

Hollywood Reporter

Philadelphia Inquirer

Seattle Times

Orlando Sentinel

SPEED
All Critics (71) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (67) | Rotten (4)
Speed is both a reminder of the pleasures of well-done mindlessness and graceful evidence that Hollywood’s newest generation of talent can play the box office game if and when it wants to.

December 22, 2021 | Rating: A-

Ty Burr
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
There should be traffic jams at the box office as Fox picks up many busloads of riders for its fast and furiously entertaining thriller Speed.

June 10, 2019

David Hunter
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
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.

August 11, 2014 | Rating: 3/4

Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
A riotously enjoyable locomotive of action, Speed is driven by a premise of such crystalline purity that its ridiculousness becomes part of the fun.

July 30, 2013 | Rating: 3/4

Jeff Shannon
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
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.

July 30, 2013 | Rating: 5/5

Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
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.

July 30, 2013

Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
The action in Speed is unrelenting for the most part, moving from one explosion to another and keeping the viewers entertained throughout the almost two-hour running time.

May 4, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5

Allison Rose
FlickDirect
Even with the few things that don’t make sense or don’t age well, the whole of the film remains as enthralling as ever.

May 4, 2021

Douglas Davidson
Elements of Madness
Speed offers the simple pleasures of a great action film…

March 21, 2021 | Rating: 5/5

Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com
One of those rare, seemingly mindless actioners that manages to mix enjoyable performances, a slick story, and white-knuckle thrills into a highly influential feature.

September 24, 2020 | Rating: 9/10

Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Speed still remains a taut, thrilling action masterpiece, one that is expertly edited, fantastically written, and exhilarating from start to finish.

May 11, 2020 | Rating: 9.5/10

Jonathan Barkan
JonathanBarkan.com
The chemistry between Bullock and Reeves is great … More importantly, however, Speed knows and embraces its own silliness – without sacrificing the stakes.

February 10, 2020 | Rating: 8/10

Sean Collier
Box Office Prophets…

Plot
When a young Los Angeles police department, Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T.) officer called Jack Traven angers retired Atlanta police department bomb squad member Howard Payne, by foiling his attempt at taking hostages stuck in an elevator with a bomb, Payne in retaliation arms a bus with a bomb that will explode if it drops below 50 miles per hour. With the help of spunky passenger Annie, Jack and his partner Detective Harry Temple try to save the people on the bus before the bomb goes off, while also trying to figure out how Payne is monitoring them.

Trivia