Stephen Baldwin reportedly declined because the script resembled Die Hard; the decision is mocked.
Jeff Bridges and Johnny Depp reportedly passed; Depp is considered capable of playing the part.
An earlier, more comic-relief version of Annie was reportedly written with Ellen DeGeneres in mind. — Bill Simmons
Halle Berry reportedly declined the rewritten Annie role; she is considered a promising alternative. — Bill Simmons
Bullock is preferred because her charm develops over the film instead of relying on immediate glamour.
Berry reportedly thought the role would have reduced her to a black bus driver; the discussion both detects bitterness and concedes she might have been right. — Bill Simmons
John McTiernan, Renny Harlin, and Quentin Tarantino reportedly declined to direct; Tarantino’s potential version is admired.
Hiring the Die Hard cinematographer to direct is judged to have worked out well. — Bill Simmons

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30:38

Picking Nits

Tires, payphone timing, gasoline, bus stops, cameras, the bomber’s home, the jump, and Annie’s driving (several dispu...

Tires, payphone timing, gasoline, bus stops, cameras, the bomber’s home, the jump, and Annie’s driving (several disputed)

In the discussion (13)

Approx. transcript time · 00:30:38Read transcript

Could Jack shoot the tires before the bus reaches fifty? — Bill Simmons
The counterargument is that Hopper could detonate remotely and watch on camera; the reply distinguishes the unarmed speed-trigger phase.
Answering a payphone after the explosion is questioned, along with how the caller knows Jack will be there; a video-game side-mission analogy defends answering.
Stabbing the fuel tank to hang onto the bus is questioned, and the missing consequences of the lingering gasoline smell are mocked. — Bill Simmons
Stopping for Annie after departing is questioned, then defended through a bus-driver father’s habit of waiting for regulars and bringing tacos. — Bill Simmons
The blast that kills Helen seems likely to destroy a tire and cause an accident.
The airport tire spikes appear to damage a tire, yet the bus continues without consequences. — Bill Simmons
An unnamed participant describes accidentally driving over Staples Center tire spikes without tire damage, challenging the assumption that spikes always work. — Bill Simmons
Hopper’s repeated Wildcat clue is interpreted as deliberate taunting rather than a slip. — Bill Simmons
A 1994 onboard camera is questioned, then defended through recollections of early school-bus cameras; an uninterrupted feed still seems implausible.
Entering a bomber’s home without anticipating explosives is criticized, while Daniels’s death expression is admired and compared to Dumb and Dumber. — Bill Simmons
The bus could not survive the landing even if it somehow completed the jump. — Bill Simmons
Annie’s ability to drive the bus is questioned; replies suggest parking is the hard part and much of the task is going straight. — Bill Simmons

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31:18

Half-Assed Internet Research

Oscars, stunt stories, script changes and the bus jump

In the discussion (12)

Approx. transcript time · 00:31:18Read transcript

The film reportedly won Oscars for sound editing and sound mixing.
Reeves reportedly performed ninety percent of his stunts, including a secretly practiced Jaguar-to-bus jump that surprised the director. — Bill Simmons
The surprise-jump story is challenged as publicity exaggeration because a shot requires coordination; doing the jump itself remains believable.
Going under the bus is rejected as something Reeves did himself; even at five miles per hour, he could die.
An original script reportedly revealed Harry as the villain; the betrayal is enthusiastically welcomed as a remake possibility.
Joss Whedon is credited with script-doctor dialogue, including Gigantor.
Bullock reportedly learned to drive a bus and is praised as convincing behind the wheel.
River Phoenix’s death during filming reportedly led to easier scenes being scheduled while Reeves grieved. — Bill Simmons
The highway filming is placed on the 105 and 110 freeways. — Bill Simmons
Early visual effects reportedly supplied the freeway gap; footage of the actual stunt shows the bus collapsing on landing. — Bill Simmons
The bus jump reportedly was absent from the script until the director saw unfinished freeway and proposed it. — Bill Simmons
The practical jump reportedly rose twenty feet, traveled 109 feet, and overshot onto a camera. — Bill Simmons

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33:00

Roger Ebert's review

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 00:33:00Read transcript

Ebert reportedly gave Speed four out of four stars and described viewers gripping a companion’s forearm.
Ebert’s reported three-star review of Speed 2 surprises the discussion; the sequel is still criticized.

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51:59

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Freeway notoriety, hypothetical Cage/Reeves swaps, Face/Off identity, and favorite action titles

In the discussion (7)

Approx. transcript time · 00:51:59Read transcript

Was the combination of Speed and the O.J. chase the greatest summer for Los Angeles freeways? — Bill Simmons
Young Nick Cage as Jack is judged worse but more interesting; he could not supply the steady, polite cop.
Replacing Cage with Reeves in the films heard as Conair and Face Off is rejected; both are considered perfect Cage vehicles. — Bill Simmons
Face/Off’s spouse failing to recognize intimate differences is questioned; knowingly accepting the substitute is floated as a counterreading. — Bill Simmons
The Terminator, Speed, Face/Off, Cliffhanger, Die Hard, and First Blood are nominated as great action titles.
Die Hard and The Terminator receive explicit title preferences; Speed is praised too.
Minimum Speed is reported as an original title and mocked as inferior.

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