THE NEED FOR SPEED
INTRODUCTION
It’s quite easy to make an interesting film for two hours showcasing a story that happens for several months or years. Coz of this the director has enough scenes to attract viewers. But what about making a film of story that happens continuously for 2 hrs? Is it possible to have enough suspense and thrill for such a film? Will it succeed?
Yes, says Jan De Bot. It’ll not only succeed but also be one of the all time Favorites, provided that it has a volley of suspense punches. Need a proof? It’s the SPEED, starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock and Dennis Hooper. Many English films fascinate with their imaginative storyline, and Speed is probably one among the best of them. But one should be aware that such stories should be dealt properly or else resulting in a film rated ‘K’. What’s this ‘K’? It is Kids only!
I remember saying about the suspense requirement in such films. Indeed it’s quite hard to get the best sequences that happen continuously, but when done (without being over-imaginative) it’s sure to make you bite your nails and also sweat sometimes! I like to give you a piece of advice: Don’t see this film if you are growing nails. Speed is a such fine example of a suspense thriller. One more advantage of making a film that has a short story-span is that it lacks the lagging period. No more sleeping in theatres! Let’s see what it has got for you…
THE THEME
The theme of this film is that Fast thinking coupled with strong physical and will power will make a man face any challenge. It showcases how determination is the yolk of success. The specialty in this film is that there are a dozen suspenses to hold you to your seat. No wonder my head never turned away for the 2 hrs I spent with Keanu. Action is done coolly and you easily get the stylish feel of seeing an English movie, especially the cool acting by Sandra. There is not a single scene that fails to fascinate. If you find any, let me know. Keanu looks better built than in the Matrix and is smart enough, acting is also nice and does well the frustration scenes. And one more concept of the movie: Go Faster when the obstacle approaches !
THE STORY
Dennis Hooper, Retd. Bomb Squad Officer, needs a cool 3 million bucks from the LA govt, but how? Hold a dozen hostages in an elevator and play with bombs. Unfortunately you have Keanu landing from a flying car and makes some brilliant tactics to save the hostages. What will this wounded lion do?
Now Hooper needs 3.7 million. Now he plays with a bomb on a Bus that’s running downtown Venice. But he’s not happy, so starts a game with Keanu: If the bus speeds above 50 miles an hour the bomb gets activated and if it ever decreases speed below 50, then you hear the blast. But the hero is always in action, he manages to jump into the bus, but by the time, the bus crosses 50 and the bomb is triggered. How about driving a bus above 50 mile an hour in LA? It’s not ezy baby and that too with the driver gets hurt in an encounter with a thief on the bus. So now Sandra takes the wheels and drives pretty amazing and ensures no loss of public life. They negotiate a steep curve on two wheels (mind it, stay above 50) and approach a highway with police escorts…
Hey, has Hooper gone to sleep? Naaa… He manages to fix a camera into the bus and warns that if anybody gets off the bus, explosion guaranteed. But the innocent bus is quite unaware that the highway is not finished! And it may fall down the bridge for the gap is about 50 feet! What’s the next tactic? Keep thinking but u don’t get it, though Keanu does. Floor the right foot and take off, whoa and it does work. The bus wheelies and manages to land just crossing the gap! The graphics are realistic and you don’t get a hint of anything bad there. It just smells good!
Now they circle an airport so that in the meantime Keanu gets under the bus to try diffuse. But he gets stuck and the petrol tank gets broken! However he manages to get back to the bus. Just a few minutes are left and Hooper stresses on the money, what’s the next tactic? He finds the hidden cam and makes an iterative copy if it and broadcasts it! Now they unload the passengers from the bus to another vehicle on the move itself. And it’s time for the hero and heroine, they jump together on a board amidst sparks while the bus collides with a plane and finally blasts. They set a trap for Hooper and wait for him. But Hooper isn’t a fool either; he discovers the trap and manages to take the money with Sandra as hostage. He ties up Sandra inside a moving train but looses his head on a duel with Keanu over the top of the train. But Keanu isn’t able to free Sandra of the cuffs and the train approaches an unfinished area. It’s the old tactic that does the trick again, speed up the train and speed past the disturbances, they manage to do it again but this time in a very romantic way. That brings the song ‘Speed O Speed’ and the screen blacks out…
CONCLUSION
Genuine storyline
Very thrilling movie
Realistic Graphics
Cool Acting
Not a single boring scene
Nice tactics adopted
If you haven’t seen SPEED, C’mon SPEED what else do you NEED!