Often when critics and various awards groups gather at the end of the year to honor the years best, it is with a very narrow view of what we thought best represented that year.Many times, blockbuster films, or even films that just didn’t reach a wide enough audience, end up being rediscovered, or really holding on and becoming an essential film standing the test of time. This is often the toughest job of all, because film critics and historians can always pull lesser known films throughout the years, but the truth is that a film like Speed ends up with a lot more weight and impact than many gave it credit for in 1994. I’m not saying it was a poorly reviewed film, but a bus moving 60 mph in order to not explode feels just as culturally relevant as some lesser known “terror on this mode of transportation” films we got throughout the 90’s. It wasn’t the first, nor the last, yet Speed is generally always more favorably discussed than Passenger 57, Money Train, Executive Decision, Turbulence, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, and especially its sequel, speed 2: Cruise Control.

Directed by Jan De Bont, this simple but perpetually entertaining action film really makes the most of its time, introducing us to Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) and his partner (Jeff Daniels), who are tasked early on from saving some people in a wired elevator from a madman (Denis Hopper). After that introduces us to these characters, Jack is then pulled into a bomb on a bus that must stay above 60, wired by the same madman, and he boards the bus to help save some lives. On that bus is Annie (Sandra Bullock), who ends up being the driver after something happens to the original one. The film builds to a hell of a climax, and a still memorable ending for Dennis Hopper. Full of great 90’s moments and one-liners, Jan de bont (Twister) directed the hell out of this. it is a film I didn’t see right away, as it was rated R, and I was eleven, but once I did, I’ve seen it several times. it should be nostalgic for me, but I didn’t see this for years. I saw the sequel first. It is one of Keanu’s best roles, introduced us fully to Sándor Bullock as a leading lady, and gave Dennis hopper one of his most memorable roles, and one of the better villain performances in an action film in the 90’s. Hopper knew what he had to do, and he did it.

I own this now, and it has audio description, so let’s break that down since it was definitely added after the fact.

What I’m Looking For In The Audio Description: Action. Action. Action. This film is high octane fun, and isn’t afraid to kill a few innocents to make you uncomfortable enough about who actually will survive this. Expertly narrating the tension both in the elevator shaft, and also the bus, plus the final scene of the film is really where this is at. That comes with reactions by the actors, it comes with catching every obstacle in the way, and the cuts to Dennis Hopper’s maniacal performance. Character descriptions should happen, but most of the bus disappears into extras with nothing to do. Really, there are four main characters here, played by Reeves, Bullock, hopper, and Daniels, and maybe Joe Morton in the fifth spot. The rest of the cast is intentionally underdeveloped so they could be expendable if necessary. This isn’t Con air where every prisoner has their own personality. costumes are pretty plain clothes, but welcome if you have the time. There’s a little bit of violence, but brief. Nevertheless, everything should be captured. It really is a soft R rating, if you’re wondering if your older kids can watch. I really think it has to primarily be for profanity, which I always thought that bar was really low from the MPAA.

What It Does: I think the written narration here was fine. Oddly, I didn’t have any narrator company/notes, which I would have had since I own this and wouldn’t be worried about getting kicked into the next project. But I do remember the tension being pretty well done, the few violent moments were not shied away from, but I’m not sure we had that much in terms of individual description. it didn’t bother me too much, because everyone is wearing street clothes for the most part. Nothing here is an iconic look. I would say the lack of description for well known actors doesn’t bother me, but at the same time, I don’t want every famous actor to feel like a pass. If I sat down with congenitally blind people and asked them to tell me what they thought some actors looked like, I wonder how well we would get. Because, if an actor got famous in a pre-audio description era, when we started doing more audio description, if we rest on the idea that you know what someone looks like, the assumption there is that they’ve been described before at some point. And in a film where the leads are essentially surrounded by expendables, why not? I will say, Bullock’s jacket was described, as it is very relevant to the plot. I remember that.

Final Thoughts: a great film still thirty years later, and after several watches. it never needed a sequel, though its one of those things I feel could totally have a legacy sequel years later, when an old Keanu Reeves has to keep a self-driving bus from dropping below 60. Just kidding.

Final Grade: A