Critic Reviews
78
Metascore
Generally Favorable
positive
15(88%)
mixed
2(12%)
negative
0(0%)
Showing 17 Critic Reviews
100
We've seen this done before, but seldom so well, or at such a high pitch of energy.
100
The film takes off from formula elements-it's yet another variation on "Die Hard"-but it manipulates those elements so skillfully, with such a canny mixture of delirium and restraint, that I walked out of the picture with the rare sensation that every gaudy thrill had been earned.
100
The result is clean, delirious, and, yes, speedy—the best big-vehicle-in-peril movie since Clouzot's "The Wages of Fear."
90
De Bont and his team have turned in a visually sophisticated piece of mayhem that makes the implausible plausible and keeps the thrills coming. [10Jun1994 Pg. F1]
90
The movie has two virtues essential to good pop thrillers. First, it plugs uncomplicatedly into lurking anxieties -- in this case the ones we brush aside when we daily surrender ourselves to mass transit in a world where the loonies are everywhere. Second, it is executed with panache and utter conviction.
88
It's an ingenious premise that first-time director Jan De Bont has turned into a tremendously well-executed motion picture.
88
If you're looking for action movie heaven, try Speed, a crackling blend of suspense and fun that gives you the rush of a runaway roller coaster.
88
Acclaimed cinematographer Jan De Bont's directing debut is a mindless, implausible, and thoroughly gripping adventure movie.
80
This film's dialogue isn't much more literate than a bus schedule, but its plotting is smart and breathless enough to make up for that.
80
There are very few action movies that cut to the chase quite as quickly as Speed and then have the stamina to keep it up for nearly two hours.
