Speed Stars Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock reflect on filming the film’s bus scenes 30 years later, revealing they got all too real at times. Released in 1994, Speed Directed by Jan de Bont, Reeves plays Jack Traven, a police officer trying to save passengers on a bus that explodes if its speed drops below 50 mph. The film, in which Bullock plays Annie, a passenger who takes over the driver’s duties, was a hit, with its clever concept and tense scenes on the bus earning it positive reviews from critics and audiences.
During a recent discussion at Beyond Fest 2024 celebrating Speed30th anniversary, moderator: IndieWireboth Reeves and Bullock recall that “underinformed“about what will happen during the bus scenes in the film. Reeves says the bus started moving.”actually hits cars” as he sped down the street, causing a strong reaction from passengers on board:
“But you don’t remember that day on the bus?” When we were rushing through all the cars on the street? I remember we were a little under-informed. We were all on a bus and then we were driving through San Diego or something like that. They put us on the ocean shore, and suddenly we were actually hitting cars. Boom! Boom! Everyone on the bus went crazy. People were screaming.”
In the film, Bullock didn’t do any driving on camera (though she did get a bus driver’s license), but she recalls the real driver on the roof careening into various objects as the car drove down the street:
“The most interesting thing was that I was driving a bus, and behind me there was someone riding on the roof. Someone was driving and I hit something [director] Ian [de Bont] felt like I needed to crash. But never, never [was I actually driving]. I got my bus driver’s license in Santa Monica. I did it! It’s not an easy car to maneuver.”
What Speed’s Action Sequences Mean for the Film’s Legacy
The film remains a Reeves action classic
Up there with Matrix And John Wick franchise, Speed remains one of Reeves’ most iconic action films. The message of the film is easy to grasp in one sentence and the action was thrilling. Reviews about Speed were overwhelmingly positive upon the film’s release, and it currently holds an impressive 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film, produced on an estimated budget of $30 million, was also a box office hit, grossing $350 million worldwide.
Connected
Filmed before CGI became more common in action films. Speedthe sequence of actions was largely implemented practically. A total of 11 buses were used during filming, which shows how much damage the vehicles suffered during filming. Additionally, both Reeves and Bullock were not fully prepared for what happened. SpeedThe sequence of actions would appear as if it clearly led to strong reactions. The panic and tension inside the bus seems realand it is now clear that this happened because there may not have been clear information about where the bus would go and what it would crash into.
Our take on the action sequences in Speed
Why do they still work so well 30 years later?
The feeling of chaos that Reeves describes appeared on screen in Speed. Although for safety reasons a modern film would probably present such scenes to the actors more clearlyApparently everything came together for the 1994 action classic. However, the film’s action scenes wouldn’t be as exciting if it weren’t for Reeves and Bullock and their on-screen chemistry. Action may be the main reason Speedbut it’s the human element that underpins it all and makes characters like Jack and Annie worth rooting for.
Source: IndieWire