Keanu Reeves’ Action Classic Speed Ranks 8th on Hulu

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Keanu Reeves‘ popular 1994 action film is currently a hit on Hulu. Since becoming available on the streaming service in early March, it’s now the eighth most-watched movie in the U.S.

In the action thriller Speed, Keanu Reeves plays LAPD officer Jack Traven. He teams up with Annie Porter, played by Sandra Bullock, a passenger on a bus rigged with a bomb by criminal Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper). The bomb is set to detonate if the bus slows down.

Many call Speed a thrilling ride, and they’re right, but that doesn’t fully capture what makes it special. The film boasts a 95% “Certified Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics agreeing it’s a fantastic action movie featuring excellent performances from all three main actors. Even the renowned critic Roger Ebert gave it four stars, praising it as truly entertaining and incredibly exciting.

In the action movie Speed, LAPD officer Jack Traven faces off against Howard Payne, a criminal demanding ransom. Payne rigs an elevator with a bomb, and when that plan is foiled, he escalates to a bus that will explode if its speed drops below 50 mph while stuck in Los Angeles traffic.

By 1994, Hopper was already a popular actor, but the film Speed really launched Keanu Reeves into superstardom. It proved he was capable of leading a major action film alongside established stars.

The movie Speed launched Sandra Bullock into stardom, but she still cringes when she thinks about the sequel she made without Keanu Reeves. Still, it’s clear why Speed led to years of success, with Bullock landing leading roles in popular films like Miss Congeniality and The Blind Side.

Speed Is No. 8 on the Hulu Charts

I loved Speed when it came out, and it was a huge success! It made over $350 million around the world, which was amazing considering it only cost between $30 and $37 million to make. Because it did so well, 20th Century Fox immediately started working on a sequel, but honestly, it didn’t live up to the original.

With enough time having passed since the original, Disney – now that it owns 20th Century Studios (formerly 20th Century Fox) – is open to making a Speed 3. Studio President Steve Asbell jokingly said they’d greenlight it if they had a good enough story, adding, “Hollywood is willing to take the risk, and so are we – we’re just waiting for the right idea.”

You know, as a huge movie fan, it’s rare to find those older films that haven’t been revisited with a remake. And with a movie like Speed, it would have to be a truly amazing idea to even consider it. It’s not about just wanting to bring it back; Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves would have to be genuinely excited about the concept. They’d need to be involved from the very beginning, helping to develop the story. It’s a really important film for us, and we wouldn’t want to rush into anything or pressure anyone into it.

Speed is streaming now on Hulu.

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2026-03-12 00:08