I like Guy Pearce a lot and I generally enjoy Luc Besson movies, so I was sort of looking forward to kicking back and watching this one Saturday night. Immediately after the opening interrogation scene, I knew I was in trouble. While I can tolerate absurd and unlikely situations (really...mattresses stacked in the alley right where they're needed?), I can't tolerate third-rate CGI that's simply unnecessary to the plot. I am not exaggerating when I say that most video games back in 2003 had better graphics than this movie does. What's impressive about a cheaply-rendered city bus overturning on a cheaply-rendered bridge as it's being forced over by cheaply-rendered cars? Where's the skill, the vision, the imagination, or the artisanship of the filmmaker? Why even bother? You might as well have one character simply say to another, "Yeah...on the way over here the guys chasing me forced a bus off the road." Would the audience have enjoyed "Speed" so much if the bus, the road, and all the passengers were simply CGI? Needless to say, this is actually one of the high points of the movie. It's all downhill from that point.
OK, I'm off my soapbox. I just hate it when good filmmakers are led astray and talent (along with funding) is wasted.
OK, I'm off my soapbox. I just hate it when good filmmakers are led astray and talent (along with funding) is wasted.