Speed

Los angeles police department cop jack travens luck is put to the ultimate test when a mad bomber terrorizes the city and takes a personal interest in jack. He has rigged a city bus to explode if the speed falls below 50 mph. Jack must rescue the passengers and an attractive substitute driver. Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 08/14/2001 Starring: Keanu Reeves Sandra Bullock Run time: 115 minutes Rating: R Director: Jan De Bont

Everything clicked in this 1994 action hit, from the premise (a city bus has to keep moving at 50 mph or blow up) to the two leads (the usually inscrutable Keanu Reeves and the cute-as-a-button Sandra Bullock) to the villain (Dennis Hopper in psycho mode) to the director (Jan De Bont, who made this film hit the ground running with an edge-of-your-seat opening sequence on a broken elevator). This is the sort of movie that becomes a prototype for a thousand lesser films (including De Bont's lousy sequel, Speed 2: Cruise Control), but Speed really is a one-of-a-kind experience almost anyone can enjoy. --Tom Keogh