The 1990s were a great decade for the action movie genre. The stories got bigger, talented filmmakers were stepping onto the scene, and the ideas were getting really inventive. One of the most popular action movies of the decade was Speed.
The 1995 film starred Keanu Reeves as a cop who must save a bus full of passengers that will explode if it drops below fifty miles per hour. The movie is a great bit of genre fun, but is it the best action film of the decade? While Speed has a lot of great qualities going for it, there are some true classics from the 1990s that cannot be ignored.
Speed: The Premise
Speed is often dismissed as just another Die Hard rip-off but that does a disservice to one of the best action movie premises of all time. The idea of a bus filled with passengers that cannot slow down or else it will explode is brilliant in its simplicity.
That totally original yet accessible idea instantly prepares the audience for a fun ride. It gives the movie its fast-paced energy while also leaving fans on the edge of their seat the entire time. Though it shares similarities with some action films, its pitch-perfect premise puts it in a league of its own.
Alternative: The Rock (1996)
Michael Bay has gone on to make some of the biggest action movies around, but The Rock remains his best all-around actioner. After mercenaries with bioweapons take hostages on Alcatraz, a biochemist (Nicolas Cage) and former inmate of the prison (Sean Connery) team up to save the day.
Though it is far from reserved, it’s nice to see Bay a bit more grounded than his later films. The action is thrilling and intense while Cage and Connery make for a surprisingly solid team. The result is a thoroughly entertaining R-rated adventure.
Speed: Keanu Reeves
Though he is celebrated now for his iconic role as John Wick, it feels like many people overlooked the fact that Keanu Reeves was the king of action movies in the 1990s. he headlined a number of the best of the decade and Speed really showed his movie star persona.
Though the role of Jack Travers, the hero cop of the film, is not massively challenging, Reeves brings a lot to the role. He is intense, charming, and fearless. The premise of the film could have easily overshadowed the lead, but Reeves creates a hero worth cheering for.
Alternative: Die Hard With A Vengeance (1995)
The original Die Hard redefined the action movie genre but people seem to forget that the third film in the franchise is just as good as the original. Bruce Willis is great as a washed-up version of John McClane and Samuel L. Jackson is so much fun as the shop owner who is dragged into McClane’s battle against a mad bomber.
Director John McTiernan returns to the franchise but avoids repeating himself. The film feels like a totally new story with a grittier tone and fun energy. The franchise’s other sequels should have taken note.
Speed: The Chemistry
As great as the premise of the film is, having the main character stuck on a speeding bus could have been a real bore. The movie is given an extra spark thanks to the wonderful chemistry between Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.
As soon as these two are on screen together, it feels like a perfect match. They play off each other so well, adding a charming and grounded relationship in the middle of all the action movie insanity.
Alternative: Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
When James Cameron makes a sequel, he ensures the new approach to the story is worthwhile. When revisiting his breakthrough film, The Terminator, Cameron flipped the idea on its head and made a superior film.
The idea of switching Arnold Schwarzenegger’s killer cyborg from villain to hero is an inspired choice that works brilliantly. The ground-breaking special effects are still impressive today, the action is epic, and there is a great emotional core to the story.
Speed: The Humor
It can be tricky to include comedy in an action movie. Though some humor is great to break up the tension, if used incorrectly it can create a messy tone or diminish the stakes of the action. Speed finds just the right amount of balance to keep the thrills impactful and add some fun to the story.
It is said that Joss Whedon wrote most of the dialogue in the film and his voice can be detected. It is especially effective with the bus passengers who add some great laughs but also help raise the stakes.
Alternative: Heat (1995)
While many of the films on this list are enjoyably over-the-top, Heat is just as fun while being much more grounded and sophisticated. Michael Mann’s crime film stars Robert De Niro as the leader of a gang of thieves being pursued by a determined cop, played by Al Pacino.
Seeing these two titans share the screen for the first time is thrilling enough, but the film’s action scenes steal the show. The heist sequences are staged in a way that puts the audience in the middle of the chaos which makes for an incredible experience.
Speed: Non-Stop Thrills
It is extremely difficult for a film to maintain a fast-paced and thrilling story from beginning to end, but Speed does it better than most action movies. It all starts with a great opening sequence and the movie doesn’t slow down from there.
The relentless fun and excitement of the movie keeps one glued to the screen. It is such an enjoyable experience to go on this non-stop ride that one almost wants to start all over again once the end credits roll.
Alternative: The Matrix (1999)
In the last year of the 1990s, action movies were changed forever with the mind-blowing experience, The Matrix. The film stars Keanu Reeves as an aimless man who is exposed to the truth that his reality is a simulation controlled by machines.
The movie is a wonderful combination of all shorts of action movie styles. There is the insane sci-fi action, the shoot-em-up action, and some thrilling martial arts fighting. It’s all inside a completely ambitious and brilliant concept that elevates the thrill of what’s happening on screen.
