Overview
A high-stakes race against time unfolds on a bus packed with passengers, where every second counts.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- propulsive
- tense
- witty
- action movie night
- 90s nostalgia night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Speed as a taut, energetic, highly entertaining popcorn thriller elevated by its performances and sustained momentum.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The bus bomb's speed requirement turns ordinary driving into a continuous, escalating survival constraint.
Los Angeles streets, traffic, ramps, tunnels, and public transit become central obstacles to Jack's rescue effort.
Howard Payne monitors and manipulates the police and passengers while presenting himself as a taunting, cackling bomber.
The film foregrounds buses, elevators, freeways, and subway machinery in large-scale kinetic set pieces.
Films like Speed, and why
Die Hard
high-arousal action thriller built around a relentless mechanical threat, professional heroism, and escalating urban set pieces
The Rock
propulsive terrorist plot, charismatic villain, hostage peril, and sustained mainstream action spectacle
Under Siege
contained disaster-action premise, ticking-clock tension, ensemble civilian danger, and high-concept suspense
Con Air
1990s action blockbuster energy, explosive set pieces, and a resourceful law-enforcement protagonist confronting a theatrical criminal
Movie Details
- Director
- Jan de Bont
- Release Date
- 1994-06-09
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (7079)
Cast
- Keanu Reeves
- Dennis Hopper
- Sandra Bullock
- Joe Morton
- Jeff Daniels
- Alan Ruck
- Glenn Plummer
- Richard Lineback
- Beth Grant
- Hawthorne James
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, fuboTV, HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, FXNow, Netflix Standard with Ads, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Speed about?
- An LAPD SWAT officer races through Los Angeles to keep a bomb-rigged bus moving while outsmarting the bomber controlling it.
- What is Speed like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Speed as breakneck, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Speed violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Speed as moderate.
- What did critics think of Speed?
- Critics broadly regard Speed as a taut, energetic, highly entertaining popcorn thriller elevated by its performances and sustained momentum.
- Which films are like Speed?
- Films with a similar feel include Die Hard, The Rock, Under Siege, and Con Air.
- How long is Speed?
- Speed runs 116 minutes.
- Where can I watch Speed?
- In United States, Speed streams on Netflix, fuboTV, HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, FXNow, Netflix Standard with Ads, HBO Max.
