Speed is a 1994 American action thriller film directed by Jan de Bont in his feature directorial debut, and written by Graham Yost.

The plot centers on a city bus rigged by a vengeful extortionist (Hopper) to explode if its speed drops below 50 miles per hour (80 km/h).

Reeves plays an LAPD officer tasked with preventing the disaster, with Bullock portraying a passenger who becomes unexpectedly involved in the mission.

Despite Payne’s constant surveillance, Jack maneuvers the bus through several dangerous obstacles, including a gap in the freeway, and directs it to Los Angeles International Airport to prevent traffic issues.

Meanwhile, Harry discovers Payne’s identity as a former Atlanta Police Department bomb squad officer and leads a SWAT team to his home.

Elwy mistakenly believed the train's out-of-control situation was caused by a bomb, leading Graham to think that such a concept would work better on a bus.

De Bont, who had been the director of photography for action films like Die Hard and The Hunt for Red October (1984), agreed to direct.

[6] Paramount ultimately passed on the project, believing audiences wouldn’t want to watch a film set almost entirely on a bus.

Yost and de Bont then pitched the film to 20th Century Fox, who agreed to green-light the project but requested additional action sequences beyond the bus.

[7] Yost used this opening to establish the cleverness of LAPD SWAT officer Jack Traven, inspired by Perseus’ trickery with Medusa.

[5] De Bont also suggested concluding the film with a subway sequence to provide a final twist, which Fox approved.

[10] Stephen Baldwin was initially offered the role of Jack Traven but declined, citing the character’s similarity to John McClane from Die Hard (1988).

[9] As production progressed, Reeves became more involved with his stunts, even secretly rehearsing the Jaguar-to-bus jump, which he later performed himself, against de Bont's approval.

De Bont noticed unfinished sections of the freeway during a location scout and suggested adding a bus jump to the script.

A second bus was prepared, and a successful jump was filmed two days later, although it traveled further than expected and destroyed one of the cameras set up to capture the landing.

Shots of the LACMTA Metro Red Line during the film's climactic subway sequence were created using an 1/8 scale model, except for the train derailment jump.

It debuted at number 1 at the US box-office, surpassing The Flintstones and City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold, and grossing $14.5 million in its opening weekend.

The site's consensus reads, "A terrific popcorn thriller, Speed is taut, tense, and energetic, with outstanding performances from Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, and Sandra Bullock.

[42] Janet Maslin of The New York Times praised Hopper’s portrayal of "crazy menace" and noted the film’s swift pacing, which left little room for character development but maintained momentum.

[49] In 2017, BBC's Mark Kermode revisited the film and declared it a "timeless masterpiece," praising its enduring appeal as an action classic.

[87] La-La Land Records and Fox Music released a limited expanded version of Mark Mancina's score on February 28, 2012.

Sandra Bullock reprised her role as Annie, reportedly in exchange for financial backing on another project, but Keanu Reeves declined to return as Jack Traven.

Willem Dafoe portrayed the villain, John Geiger, while Glenn Plummer, who played a carjacking victim in the first film, made a cameo as the same character, this time involved with a boat.

Speed 2 is widely regarded as one of the worst sequels ever made, holding a 4% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 71 reviews.