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Speed 2 - Cruise Control
Speed 2 - Cruise Control
Actors: Sandra Bullock, Jason Patric, Willem Dafoe, Temuera Morrison, Brian McCardie
Director: Jan de Bont
PG-13     1999     2hr 1min

Anybody seen Keanu? The action star of Speed opted out of this overbearing sequel, which finds costar Sandra Bullock in love with another guy (Jason Patric) and in trouble aboard a cruise ship under the control of a ma...  more »

     

Movie Details

Actors: Sandra Bullock, Jason Patric, Willem Dafoe, Temuera Morrison, Brian McCardie
Director: Jan de Bont
Creators: Glenn Salloum, Mark Gordon, Graham Yost, Jeff Nathanson, Randall McCormick
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Format: DVD - Color - Closed-captioned
DVD Release Date: 03/09/1999
Original Release Date: 06/13/1997
Theatrical Release Date: 06/13/1997
Release Year: 1999
Run Time: 2hr 1min
Screens: Color
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Languages: English, French
Subtitles: English, Spanish
 

Movie Reviews

THE BRONZE STANDARD
B. Lafave | lakeland , fl | 11/07/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)

"the first film took itself entirely too seriously . i was not enamoured of MS. BULLOCK in the first picture (as i am now) . having seen SPEED at the time of release , my impression was of an adequate action movie with a young actress chronically on the verge of laughing at her predicament and that of the folks on the bus . it took me out of the picture . this film , on the other hand , has the will to be bad and strongly rolls the bones in that direction . i'm a WILLEM DEFOE fan first and foremost . i very much enjoy DENNIS HOPPER . but i favor DEFOE as the heavy here . i love that the film is set at sea (and that there is a spectacular crash at the end) . i feel JASON PATRIC is better suited to this particular character (his easy charm and quiet charisma) than the much liked KEANU REEVES (i own a number of pictures with MR. REEVES and enjoy his acting . POINT BREAK , STREET KINGS , MATRIX , etc) . i feel very manipulated by this "DUMB" film and i like it . i've seen SPEED 2 several times now and it never fails to amuse and entertain me . i get to see a fair amount of the quite lovely MS. BULLOCK as well and consider that a charming plus . her chemistry with MR. PATRIC seems quite natural . write what you will . i can't be dissuaded from liking this silly little diversion ."
Floundering at sea . . .
trebe | 03/24/2010
(2 out of 5 stars)

"Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997), the sequel to 1994's action hit Speed, is missing two crucial elements, the star power of Keanu Reeves (The Matrix), and a credible story. Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side) returns to reprise her role as Annie Porter, but without Reeves, the results are nowhere near the same. Jan de Bont, who directed Speed, contributed to the story for Speed 2, and also returns to direct and produce, what is an average at best, action thriller.

Two years have passed, and Annie's romance with Jack Traven (Reeves) has fizzled. Things are a little shaky with her current boyfriend, Alex Shaw (Jason Patric), an officer on the LAPD SWAT team. The couple hope that a trip on the Caribbean cruise ship Seabourn Legend, will rekindle their romance. Willem Dafoe (To Live and Die in LA) is John Geiger, a disgruntled software engineer, who wants revenge against the cruise line for firing him. Having designed the computer system used to pilot the ship, Geiger is able to seize control of the vessel.

Speed 2 has some major credibility issues. Regardless of computer controls, it is impossible for one man to operate an entire cruise liner via remote control. Shortly after Geiger assumes control, most of the passengers are apparently evacuated onto three lifeboats and some rafts. With maybe one exception, the ship's crew are totally incompetent half wits who do almost nothing productive. Shaw knows nothing about the ship, yet he takes command of the situation. While Alex is busy chasing Geiger, Annie is with a group of passengers trying to find safety.

The rather tenuous link to the `speed' theme arises, because the ship's engines can't be stopped, and the course can't be altered. Several scenes that involve Alex in the water, when the ship is supposedly traveling at high speed, look ridiculous, as the ship appears to be barely moving. In an absolutely insane move, Alex goes underwater to try and slow down a propeller. By rights, he should have been sucked into the blades and cut to bits.

Geiger abandons the Seabourn Legend, taking Annie as a hostage, leaving the ship locked on a collision course with an oil tanker. Shaw again takes the lead, diverting the runaway ship, which in a nicely done scene, skids off the tanker. The ship is now headed toward the shore, where it splinters a pier, and then rams through buildings, before grinding to a stop. The film's final action sequence involving a boat chase, and an airplane, is poorly conceived and executed.

Prior to directing and producing, Jan de Bont's was a cinematographer of some note, working on films that included Die Hard (1988), and Basic Instinct (1992). While Speed 2 contains a couple of well executed action sequences, several others are poorly done. Unfortunately, it takes more than a ship crunching onshore, to make a great movie. The story setup is not bad, but things veer off course rapidly once Geiger's plot begins. Willem Dafoe brings mania and wild expressions to his role, but expecting him to carry so much himself, is asking too much. The attempt to use Sandra Bullock as a springboard, fails mainly because of a weak script, and frankly a lack of star power. Bullock is in a complementary role, and needed a suitable partner for her quirky (and at times annoying), personality to work, and Jason Patric was not a very good match. This is an action movie, and their few action scenes together, don't play very well. Speed 2 does entertain at some level, but falls short of the original in most respects.
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