“There’s a bomb on the bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles per hour, the bomb is armed. If it drops below 50, the bus blows up. Whaddya do, Jack?”
SPEED is one of the more definitive action films of the 90’s – and perfect for including in the Rio Theatre‘s summer series of classics on Saturday, August 10. If Keanu Reeves wasn’t already mostly a household name because of ‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,’ he definitely became one after the box-office juggernaut of Jan de Bont‘s high-speed thriller SPEED – a film which also fueled Sandra Bullock‘s rise to stardom. Reeves stars as a Los Angeles police officer who angers etired bomb squad member Howard Payne (a pitch-perfect Dennis Hopper) by foiling his attempt at taking hostages. In revenge, Payne arms a bus with a bomb that will explode if it drops below 50 miles per hour. With the help of spunky passenger Annie (Bullock), Jack and his partner Harry (Jeff Daniels) try to save the people on the bus before the bomb goes off, while also trying to figure out how Payne is monitoring them.
“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.” (Rolling Stone Magazine)
“A riotously enjoyable locomotive of action, Speed is driven by a premise of such crystalline purity that its ridiculousness becomes part of the fun.” (Seattle Times)
Saturday, August 10
Doors 10:00 pm | Movie 10:30 pm *Start time subject to change.
Advance tickets $10.50 HERE | $12.50 at the door
*Minors welcome in the balcony! Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service and main floor seating.
**Rio Theatre Groupons and passes OK. Please redeem at the door.
SPEED (Jan De Bont, 1994 / 116 mins / PG) Los Angeles SWAT cop Jack Traven is up against bomb expert Howard Payne, who’s after major ransom money. First it’s a rigged elevator in a very tall building. Then it’s a rigged bus–if it slows, it will blow, bad enough any day, but a nightmare in LA traffic. And that’s still not the end.
