Keanu Reeves, often hailed as the “Internet’s boyfriend,” is known for his unique roles and expertise in action-packed, high-budget films. Currently famous for playing John Wick, Reeves started his journey as an action star in the 1990s with several iconic movies that solidified his Hollywood status.
One of these films is the 1994 action thriller Speed. Following his lead role in Point Break three years earlier, Speed was another step towards global fame for Reeves, eventually leading to his iconic role as Neo in 1999’s The Matrix. Directed by Jan de Bont in his feature debut and written by Graham Yost, Speed was a huge success, winning two Oscars.
However, it now feels dated, reflecting the extravagant style of 1990s action movies.
Starring Reeves alongside Sandra Bullock and Dennis Hopper, Speed follows a bus rigged by an extortionist to explode if its speed drops below 50 miles per hour—a wildly unrealistic plot. Bombastic and high-octane from start to finish, it is mainly remembered for the chemistry between Reeves and Bullock and its many intense scenes.
The final action sequence on the Los Angeles subway is the one most viewers remember. In it, Hopper’s terrorist character Payne has kidnapped Bullock’s Annie and fitted her with an explosive vest linked to a pressure-release detonator on a hijacked train. This tense scene ends with Reeves’ character Jack decapitating Payne by pushing his head into a railway signal.
However, this memorable subway scene might not have existed if it weren’t for an unexpected factor. The original climax was supposed to take place at Dodger Stadium, but the team owners denied access to the venue.
Yost revealed this during his appearance on the Script Apart podcast in 2021. He explained that before considering the subway ending, the original script had the bus from earlier in the movie ending up at Dodger Stadium. In the film, Jack spends all morning keeping the bus above 50 mph and devises the idea of driving it to the airport to speed along the runways without obstacles. This happens just before Payne kidnaps Annie. However, Yost’s initial vision for the third act was entirely different.
“The original ending was just them getting off the bus, and it was a shorter script,” Yost explained. “I don’t know how well you know L.A., but I just looked at a map to see where they could drive around in a circle and saw Dodger Stadium has this big road all the way around the stadium through all the parking lots. I thought that’s perfect.”
However, as American sports franchises prefer a clean image, they were put off by the explosions and terrorist themes. Yost recalled, “They said, ‘Yeah, no. We’re not going to have a terrorist film shot at Dodger Stadium.’”
Being denied access to Dodger Stadium led the film’s scouts to Los Angeles International Airport, which turned out to be a blessing. While the big explosion there made no sense to anyone, including Yost, it provided more entertainment value than Dodger Stadium ever could. Captivated by the flames, no one cared that the tow cables were visible on the pavement—not even the Academy. It was a different time.
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