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The Rewatchables ·

Speed

year 1994decade 90sdirector Jan de Bontgenre Actiongenre Thriller
host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Sean Fennesseyproducer Craig Horlbeck format Repeat visit
All 38 categories

The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson · 2:02:34

Luck runs out

Bill Simmons: Harry’s warning supplies the lesson

The film

Speed (1994)

Directed by Jan de Bont · Action

116 minutes

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Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Keanu Reeves LAPD Officer Jack Traven
Dennis Hopper Howard Payne
Sandra Bullock Annie Porter
Joe Morton LAPD Lieutenant Herb 'Mac' McMahon
Jeff Daniels LAPD Detective Harry Temple
Alan Ruck Doug Stephens
Glenn Plummer Maurice the Jaguar owner
Beth Grant Helen
Hawthorne James Sam Silver
Natsuko Ohama Mrs. Kamino
Margaret Medina Officer Robin
Jordan Lund Bagwell
Robert Mailhouse young executive
Susan Barnes female executive
Neisha Folkes-LeMelle Mrs. McMahon
Richard Lineback Sergeant Norwood
Beau Starr Commissioner
Sandy Martin bartender

Everything from the episode

In the order the hosts got to it. Open a row for the discussion.

43:46

Most Rewatchable Scene

Four different favorites: the elevator, bus boarding, passenger transfer and Jack under the bus

Four different favorites: the elevator, bus boarding, passenger transfer and Jack under the bus

In the discussion (18)
Approx. transcript time · 00:43:46Read transcript
  • The opening is separated into passenger rescue, freight elevator and hostage showdown
  • Sean recalls interviewing Patrick Fischler about his first film role
  • The first bus explosion and payphone introduce Howard’s threat
  • Jack’s forgotten muffin becomes a comic everyday-life aside
  • Annie catching the bus establishes her personality
  • The Jaguar chase, door removal and leap onto the bus are praised
  • The passenger with a gun shoots Sam after misunderstanding Jack’s arrival
  • Sam’s rescue and Helen’s fatal attempt to escape are favorites
  • The highway jump remains euphoric despite impossible physics
  • The sharp turn and passengers changing sides are praised
  • Jack on the sled under the bus is a favorite
  • Harry’s discovery of the house trap is discussed
  • Jack and Annie’s escape and the airplane explosion could have supplied an ending
  • Howard’s decapitation and the subway crash conclude the action
  • The elevator is one final choice
  • Sean explicitly chooses the passenger transfer and Helen’s death after recalling the theatrical thrill of the jump
  • Another choice is Jack boarding the bus
  • The fourth choice is Jack under the bus; individual attribution beyond explicit naming stays unknown
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1:02:14

The most 1994 thing

Opening credits, young stars, pre-surveillance life and pre-OJ Los Angeles

Opening credits, young stars, pre-surveillance life and pre-OJ Los Angeles

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:14Read transcript
  • Long opening credits and graphics are nominated — Bill Simmons
  • The absence of smartphones and social media is nominated — Bill Simmons
  • Young Reeves and Bullock embody the era — Bill Simmons
  • The absence of visible homelessness at familiar LA locations is noted as a depiction choice — Bill Simmons
  • The panel jokes that a later release would have included OJ references — Bill Simmons
  • Arizona’s Desert Swarm football era explains the Wildcats reference — Bill Simmons
  • Jack does not initially suspect a camera because constant surveillance is not assumed — Bill Simmons
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1:06:43

What’s Aged the Best?

The leads, practical action and an enduring premise

The leads, practical action and an enduring premise

In the discussion (17)
Approx. transcript time · 01:06:43Read transcript
  • Young Bullock and Reeves’s crew cut are admired
  • Mancina’s score and Reeves’s gum-chewing are praised
  • Bullock is reported to have learned to drive the bus and passed her test
  • Howard’s rich-versus-poor distinction is quoted
  • Jack’s Bronco is admired
  • A former cop with a grudge remains an effective villain premise
  • The passenger who shoots Sam gradually becomes part of the team
  • Stay on or get off and Pop Quiz Hotshot became lasting phrases
  • Reeves’s stunt involvement is praised with explicit uncertainty about exaggerated accounts
  • Reeves’s action-film longevity prompts comparisons with Eastwood, Ford and Cruise
  • The actual skyscraper and pre-CGI work supply convincing scale
  • The clothes and socks feel current again
  • The bending crane and sound design build tension
  • Alan Ruck gains a new layer through his later Connor Roy role
  • Reeves’s distinctive line deliveries are enjoyed even when awkward
  • The bus-bomb premise is thought to work today, with traffic caveats
  • The no-exit rule is debated as an unnecessary complication
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1:15:06

The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot

The bus explosion behind Jack and the scale of the practical action

The bus explosion behind Jack and the scale of the practical action

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:06Read transcript
  • The Jaguar-door shot is recalled
  • Chris’s pick centers on the camera panning around Jack as the bus explodes behind him
  • Flames reflected in the ringing payphone are admired
  • The low helicopter shot of the police escort is nominated
  • The bus hitting the jet is nominated
  • The rescued passengers watching Jack and Annie from the other bus is an emotional alternative
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1:17:14

Is There a Better Title for This Movie?

Speed remains a great title

Speed remains a great title

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:17:14Read transcript
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1:19:07

The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film

The jump’s physics, the extra subway act and Jack’s punch lines

The jump’s physics, the extra subway act and Jack’s punch lines

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:19:07Read transcript
  • One participant dislikes the jump’s lack of upward incline while others defend the sequence
  • The additional act after escaping the bus feels less perfect than the first ninety minutes
  • Bringing Annie downtown is questioned as a device to preserve her involvement
  • Howard’s bomb speech feels forced to one speaker
  • Sean reiterates his dislike of the Arnold-style punch lines
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1:20:34

What’s Aged the Worst?

Speed 2, stereotyped passengers and continuity problems

Speed 2, stereotyped passengers and continuity problems

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:20:34Read transcript
  • Hopper’s running is criticized
  • College football on a weekday morning seems implausible
  • Harry’s limp changes and disappears
  • The stereotyped passenger ensemble is criticized, citing Janeane Garofalo’s routine
  • Speed 2 and its explanation for Annie leaving Jack are rejected
  • The early screenplay’s paramedic description leads to a discussion of Halle Berry’s reported involvement
  • The panel distinguishes a useful driving qualification from unnecessary racial framing
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1:25:13

The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award

Helen, the frightened passenger

Helen, the frightened passenger

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:25:13Read transcript
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1:26:49

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Sean calls Speed the last truly great American pure-action movie

Sean calls Speed the last truly great American pure-action movie

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:26:49Read transcript
  • A participant suggests Jack’s de-escalating language as an alternative to aggressive policing
  • Sean distinguishes pure action from science fiction, superheroes, secret societies and mythology
  • Mission: Impossible, The Rock, Ambulance, Taken and Bad Boys are offered as counterexamples
  • Bill provocatively argues the destruction costs could outweigh saving the bus; the others push back
  • The hot-take framing and objections are retained rather than treating this as advice
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1:32:52

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Hawthorne James and several character-actor favorites

Hawthorne James and several character-actor favorites

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:32:52Read transcript
  • Morton is excluded as too recognizable
  • Glenn Plummer is considered eligible
  • Hawthorne James is chosen by one participant and recognized from Seven
  • David Kriegel is recalled from Alive
  • Carlos Carrasco’s helpful passenger is recognized through Blood In Blood Out without his name being spoken
  • Patrick Fischler is also nominated
  • No single unanimous choice is declared
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1:33:48

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

Joe Morton

Joe Morton

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:33:48Read transcript
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1:41:45

Apex Mountain

Die Hard successors and L.A. buses: yes

Die Hard successors and L.A. buses: yes

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:41:45Read transcript
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1:44:08

Cruise or Hanks?

Cruise

Cruise

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:44:08Read transcript
  • Cruise is the clear choice
  • The panel imagines Speed motivating Cruise’s own action work, as speculation
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1:53:45

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

A Bomb Squad spin-off, Howard prequel or reunion sequel

A Bomb Squad spin-off, Howard prequel or reunion sequel

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:53:45Read transcript
  • Speed 2 is rejected
  • A Bomb Squad movie or Joe Morton mentoring replacements is proposed
  • A Howard Payne prequel in Atlanta is proposed
  • A third movie with Reeves and Bullock would attract interest, depending on director and story
  • A married Jack and Annie face Howard’s son during a road trip
  • An electric-car battery rule and a daughter’s wedding are added
  • A Boston–Martha’s Vineyard ferry gives the boat premise another try
  • None of these hypothetical ideas is an announced production
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1:57:01

Is This Movie Better With…?

Frank Booth tending bar and Barney riding the bus

Frank Booth tending bar and Barney riding the bus

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:57:01Read transcript
  • Hopper’s Blue Velvet character tends the celebration bar
  • Barney from The Vanishing joins the bus passengers
  • The panel proposes a draft of movie characters to put on the bus
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1:58:12

Just One Oscar

Jan de Bont for directing, with awards competition acknowledged

Jan de Bont for directing, with awards competition acknowledged

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:58:12Read transcript
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2:01:29

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

The trigger, gold watch, bomb-squad earpiece or bus

The trigger, gold watch, bomb-squad earpiece or bus

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 02:01:29Read transcript
  • The bomb trigger and gold watch are nominees — Bill Simmons
  • Jack’s earpiece is chosen for use in a sports-podcast segment — Bill Simmons
  • A bus is reported to have sold at auction in 2018 for $102,000 — Bill Simmons
  • The practical problem of storing the bus leads to a collection tangent — Bill Simmons
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2:02:34

The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson

Luck runs out; guts only get you so far

Luck runs out; guts only get you so far

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 02:02:34Read transcript
  • Harry’s warning supplies the lesson — Bill Simmons
  • The panel connects it with Miami Vice’s time-is-luck theme — Bill Simmons
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2:03:24

Who Won the Movie?

Split choices: Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock

Split choices: Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 02:03:24Read transcript
  • Two Reeves selections and one Bullock selection occur in the initial exchange
  • The Reeves case emphasizes athleticism and the ability to film action without hiding the actor
  • One Bullock choice reasons that Keanu was already a star while Bullock had only had “some bites at the apple”
  • The later closing contribution explicitly adds another Bullock selection
  • No final group declaration resolves the split; voice identities remain unverified
Podcast choices
Speaker not identified
Keanu Reeves
Speaker not identified
Keanu Reeves
Speaker not identified
Sandra Bullock
Speaker not identified
Sandra Bullock
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