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Midnight Run
Speed
Speed
Speed
Speed
Speed
Film credit
Dennis Hopper
Also referred to as Hopper
Stats
- Episodes featuring their films
- 4
- Movies in this archive
- 5
Rewatchables episodes featuring Dennis Hopper’s films
Speed
1994 film
Bill Simmons · Jason Concepcion · Shea Serrano · Donnie Kwak
Aired September 21, 2017
Displaying all 4 episodes
Mentioned in discussions
Casting What-Ifs
Paramount lined up Harrison Ford as Jack Walsh and Chevy Chase as the Duke; Chase had a conflict and Ford dropped out; De Niro came aboard only after being turned down for Big; Albert Brooks turned down the Duke; Paramount wanted Cher, then Robin Williams, as the Duke; Brest insisted on Grodin and Paramount sold the film to Universal; Ron Perlman, Dennis Hopper, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta and Alec Baldwin were considered for Serrano
In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 00:39:20Read transcript
- Called a pantheon casting what-if: Paramount obtained the script and lined up Harrison Ford as Jack Walsh and Chevy Chase as the Duke around 1986-87, post-Fletch, which would have been a pretty good backup movie, although Ford, basically in his Blade Runner outfit, might be too handsome and has rarely been heard cursing that much; Chase had a conflict with Funny Farm and another film, and Ford dropped out.
- De Niro opted in only after being turned down for Big; Albert Brooks was then offered the Duke and turned it down, which would also have been incredible, since Brooks and Grodin could have swapped parts for fifteen years and Brooks probably wins head to head.
- Paramount then decided Cher should play the Duke, which is unimaginable, during a brief three-year peak of Cher as a top-tier actress; the research came from a piece written five years earlier, with a shout-out to Alan Seppinwall (as transcribed) as one of the few listeners.
- Paramount pushed for Robin Williams, who wanted to audition, the same year as Good Morning Vietnam; Brest refused and wanted Charles Grodin, so Paramount sold the rights to Universal with Grodin and De Niro attached, and Universal had a major success.
- Better or worse with 1988 Robin Williams: a sliding-doors note that doing it before or after Good Morning Vietnam might have affected Dead Poets Society; one view is that Williams would have done bits throughout and turned it into a comedy, while Grodin's measured, deadpan complaining plays perfectly off De Niro; the counter is a mellow Garp or Dead Poets Williams could have done it, and the endless takes might have driven him to become Robin Williams anyway.
- Williams is judged the better actor but Grodin played it better; Williams only grew into his body by Good Will Hunting and was still slight in the eighties, so nobody but Grodin can be pictured in the part, with Grodin the safer pick though Williams playing it correctly would have been great; a crude aside recalls an anatomical revelation from the HBO Williams documentary.
- The only other what-if is Jimmy Serrano, played by the late Dennis Farina: Ron Perlman, Dennis Hopper, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta and Alec Baldwin were all considered; late-eighties Baldwin would have been interesting, Liotta a little too young, and nobody could be better than Farina.
- Earlier aside: De Niro wanted the lead in Big to show a lighter side, the studio said no and went to Tom Hanks, who was nominated, while De Niro settled for Midnight Run and was not; which was the better career choice is left open, but De Niro as Josh Baskin, a thirteen-year-old at the piano with Robert Loggia, would have been creepy, so the studio made the right move.
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:56:24Read transcript
- Reeves, Bullock, and Hopper are nominated; three separate replies choose Bullock.
- Keanu is selected: the reply sticks with him. — Donnie Kwak
- Bullock inspires interest in her other films, whereas Reeves inspires another viewing of Speed; this distinction supports the Bullock choice. — Bill Simmons
- Annie is praised as likable, heroic, and a real character rather than a gratuitous romantic addition. — Bill Simmons
Podcast choices
- Speaker not identified
- Sandra Bullock
- Speaker not identified
- Sandra Bullock
- Speaker not identified
- Sandra Bullock
In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 00:41:42Read transcript
- The old lady blowing up and the FBI dude urging her to jump are nominated. — Bill Simmons
- Sam trying to continue driving after being shot is nominated. — Bill Simmons
- Maintaining fifty miles per hour in Los Angeles morning traffic is treated as absurd; even thirty is imagined as difficult. — Bill Simmons
- Hopper’s awkward running is selected and compared to Nicholson running in another film.
- Failing to check for Hopper’s body after the explosion is another choice.
- The Wildcats delivery raises the question of whether unusual line readings are always part of Reeves’s appeal.
- The cans-filled baby carriage and Jack laughing as Annie fears she killed a baby are selected.
- Jack’s tantrum after Harry’s death is floated as the eventual winner.
Apex Mountain
Bullock: tentative yes
In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:40:44Read transcript
- Reeves is judged to have higher peaks ahead.
- Bullock is judged to have gone higher later; an off-podcast choice heard as miscongeniality is reported as a movie she carried to $200 million.
- A tentative Bullock choice is offered despite uncertainty.
- Hopper is proposed, with disagreement over his earlier work and Easy Rider’s generational significance.
- Daniels is rejected individually, but a combined Speed and Dumb and Dumber year is floated.
- Sam the bus driver is suggested without a firm ruling. — Bill Simmons
The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance
Joe Morton (two choices); Alan Ruck and Helen (other picks)
In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 00:37:49Read transcript
- Hopper would win if eligible, but is treated as a star rather than a role player. — Bill Simmons
- Glenn Plummer’s Jaguar driver is nominated, with appreciation for his run of supporting action roles.
- Alan Ruck, the older woman, Sam, the construction-worker passenger, and Joe Morton are nominated.
- Ruck is chosen for complaining that he has already seen the airport after repeated near-death experiences.
- Morton is selected for his chief-like authority and rapid delivery.
- Helen is chosen for trying to abandon the bus and suffering a particularly brutal death.
- A second Morton choice praises his calming influence, though another response finds his celebrations excessive.
- Morton walking up to Traven and Annie at the end is enjoyed as the perfect time for a joke.
Picking Nits
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
What’s Aged the Worst?
Stereotyped passengers lead the criticism; traffic, missing phones, and police behavior are also debated, with de-escalation defended.
In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 00:25:33Read transcript
- Missing cell phones and the bus jump are raised as aged-worst candidates. — Bill Simmons
- Criticism of Hopper’s excessive performance is rejected; prolonged driving above fifty in Los Angeles is considered implausible. — Bill Simmons
- The stereotyped passenger ensemble is selected, especially the uptight tourist and the armed passenger who assumes the cop is after him. — Bill Simmons
- Jack putting down his gun and badge to reason with the armed passenger seems implausible for a Los Angeles cop.
- That calm response is contrasted with commandeering the Jaguar at gunpoint and the earlier shoot-the-hostage strategy.
- The passenger types are mocked as box-checking; a stand-up routine and Daylight provide comparisons. — Bill Simmons
- A reported passenger-cast oral history says backstories and arcs were cut, disappointing the actors.
- Frightened people acting realistically can be the most irritating screen characters; Skyler in Breaking Bad is offered as a parallel.
- Not shooting the armed passenger is offered as a criticism, answered by the defense that Jack defuses situations as well as bombs.
Most Rewatchable Scene
The bus jump leads; Hopper’s decapitation is another pick
In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:12:50Read transcript
- The elevator rescue is nominated despite its resemblance to Die Hard. — Bill Simmons
- The stretch from the first bus explosion and payphone call through meeting Annie is nominated. — Bill Simmons
- The bus-driver rescue, the older passenger’s failed escape, the bus jump, and Hopper’s decapitation are nominated. — Bill Simmons
- The bus jump is preferred for everyone hugging and screaming after surviving, before the next crisis.
- The jump feels underwhelming on rewatch; the film works through sustained tension rather than isolated scenes. — Donnie Kwak
- The decapitation is an alternative choice; Ned Stark’s death is offered as a leading comparison.
- The light-fixture decapitation is admired for its brutality, though more blood would have made it stronger.
- The bus jump is selected for the buildup, map error, and decision to accelerate. — Jason Concepcion
- The claim that an interchange might supply an incline is questioned.
- The bus jump is also chosen for the ridiculous upward flight; a MythBusters demonstration is said to show a real bus falling instead. — Bill Simmons
Displaying discussions 25 - 32 of 32 in total
