The 10 best moments from ‘Speed,’ which turns 25 years old

Before he was John Wick, Keanu Reeves was Jack Traven, an LA cop who’s only job was to keep a bus going above 50 miles an hour so it wouldn’t explode. That’s the unbelievably excellent premise of Speed, which was released 25 years ago today. 

Despite the fact that the movie is a quarter-century old, eons in the landscape of cinema, it still owns so freaking hard. A tightly constructed thrill ride, director Jan de Bont’s action masterpiece (and yeah, it is a masterpiece) was a career-defining moment for Reeves and introduced the world to the wonderful Sandra Bullock. If you want to know why both actors are as revered as they are today, Speed is pretty much the answer.

So, to celebrate the excellence that is the bomb on the bus movie, here are the 10 best moments in Speed.

Jumping the gap

Jack goes under the bus

Speed

Harry dies

Speed differs from a lot of action films because it doesn’t rely on a high body count to give it a sense of importance. Not counting the gruesome end of the bomber, the film only has three other character deaths, of which Jeff Daniels’ Harry is the biggest gut punch. The tense sequence is capped perfectly with a tight close-up of Harry’s face right before the bomb goes off. We see the slightest flinch across his face as he realizes the trap they’ve walked into. It’s brutal and effective.

Escaping the bus

“Cans! It’s just cans.”

Again, one of the key things that makes Speed work is how seriously it takes the loss of life. There’s no justifying trying to save a bus full of people if you kill a hundred others along the way. So, Annie hitting a baby carriage immediately makes the audience question whether one life is worth more or less than any other, until thankfully, it’s revealed that the carriage is just full of recycling. Honestly, I totally thought she hit a baby.

Death by decapitation

One of the challenges of action films is how to make the eventual death of the villain feel satisfying. He can’t just die normally, he has to die a death befitting the horror he’s caused. How does Howard Payne die? By getting his head chopped off while on a speeding train. As far as movie deaths go, it’s pretty great. Plus, we get one of the best Keanu line readings ever after it happens. “Yeah, but I’m taller,” Jack says.

It’s Cameron from Ferris Bueller!

Pop quiz, hot shot

Dennis Hopper is a perfect bag of crazy in this role and is most memorable during his first phone call to Jack in which he sets up the premise of the film. Talk about iconic lines.

Take the phone

Speed

That stoicism also comes into play again as Jack attempts to diffuse a situation with one of the bus passengers, and, after pulling out his gun, puts it away and holds out his hands, saying, “I don’t care about your crime. We’re just two cool guys.” It is, unintentionally, hilarious and the most Keanu-esque line reading of all time.

Jack shoots Harry

One big action movie trope is that you should never endanger the hostage. Speed flips that on its head by shooting the hostage within the first 20 minutes. It sets the tone for the rest of the film, but also shows how Jack’s character has changed ever so slightly by the end. He could shoot Annie at the end, but he can’t make himself do it because, duh, he loves her and they’re going to live happily ever after.

Honestly, is there anything more absurd but also totally believable? Sure it defies any kind of logic, but whatever, that’s what makes the movie so much fun. According to film lore, the bus jump scene wasn’t in the original script, but director de Bont got the idea after he noticed a section of the 105 freeway was missing. All of is basically one long action sequence, each moment kind of ratcheting up the tension from the moment before. One of the best is Jack’s attempt to defuse the bomb FROM UNDER THE BUS while it’s speeding along the highway. The chemistry between Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock is off the charts in the film, a feat considering that most of the time they’re just screaming at each other about how fast the bus is going or not going. But nothing bonds people faster than life threatening experiences, and one of the most magical, cinematic moments in like, movie making history, is when Jack and Annie escape the bus via the access panel and kiss in a sea of orange cones while the world just burns around them. TALK ABOUT COUPLE GOALS. Why is Alan Ruck playing a tourist on this bus? No idea, but it is incredible. Another thing does so well is add light bits of comedy into a tense two-hours, often playing up against Jack’s stoicism. One of the best examples of that is when Jack asks a man whose car he’s just destroyed if he can borrow his phone. The deadpan seriousness Keanu uses here is so underrated and leads to one of the biggest laugh lines in the film.