SPEED 2: CRUISE CONTROL
A film review by Michael Redman
Copyright 1997 Michael Redman
[No Stars] (out of ****)
Just when you had seen Lost World and thought that the summer crop couldn't get any worse, this abomination comes along to prove you wrong.
The sequel to the big hit of 1994 will go down in cinematic history as the big bomb of 1997. Reuniting director Jan De Bont (who also did "Twister") and Sandra Bullock, the film is missing Keanu Reeves and any semblance of excitement. Not known for his tremendous acting talent, turning down this one may have been the high point in Reeves' career.
Annie (Bullock), having broken up with her cop lover acquired at the end of the original movie because he was a daredevil, is now hooked up with a new policeman, Alex (Jason Patric). The trouble is that Alex isn't the mild-mannered beach patrolman that he said he was, but rather a member of the Los Angeles SWAT team. This doesn't make her happy.
In order to prove his love, he takes her on a relaxing romantic Caribbean cruise. Surprisingly enough, there are plans afoot to make the vacation anything but restful. Also on board is John Geiger (Willem Dafoe), the designer of the ship's computer guidance system. Geiger is frenzied because the company fired him when they discovered that he contracted fatal copper poisoning while working for them.
His plan is to take over the ship and run it into something that will explode. Now there's an action-filled plot for ya.
But there's no action here, much less an interesting plot. Most things move at slow motion (odd for a movie titled "Speed"). Even when the action heats up, it's just formulaic pap. The first film worked despite the two-dimensional characters because it pulled in the audience with its thrill-a-minute energy. This one leaves you waiting for the excitement. And waiting. And waiting.
Bullock may have run into a dead end here. After attaining "star" status with the original, she has turned out one dog after another. Her performance as Annie has even less spark than usual and that's a dismal assessment. It's astonishing that she can command a high salary and that situation can't last much longer.
Dafoe could have made the film tolerable. His history is filled with fine performances and he usually plays the twisted psycho expertly. However Geiger is the dullest crazed evil villain ever seen on the silver screen. Even the leeches used to treat his illness don't add a spark.
Patric is almost adequate, but the chemistry between him and Bullock doesn't exist. The scenes with the two of them drag on worse than the rest of the film.
The saying used to be "Speed kills", now it's "Speed bores".
[This appeared in the 6/19/97 "Bloomington Voice", Bloomington, Indiana. Michael Redman can be reached at mredman@bvoice.com ]
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