‘Speed’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey

The Rewatchables - The Ringer

In this episode of 'The Rewatchables,' Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey revisit the 1994 action classic 'Speed,' celebrating its

Key takeaways

• 'Speed' is considered by the hosts as the perfect action movie due to its relentless pace, clear goals, and flawless execution of its premise.
• The film's authenticity—shooting on real LA freeways and using practical effects—makes it impossible to replicate today without massive CGI budgets.

Main topics

• Revisiting 'Speed' as a cultural touchstone from 1994
• The film's influence on subsequent action movies

Notable quotes

'This should be an entire, not only a class, but you could do a semester on why Speed is the perfect action movie.'

'It's like Die Hard on a bus. Yeah. Die Hard's 88. They're ripping off Die Hard right after.'

Conclusion

The hosts conclude that 'Speed' remains a timeless action masterpiece not despite its

Transcript preview

Speaker 4 (0:00) you Speaker 4 (0:05) The Rewatchables is brought to you by the Ringer Podcast Network, where you can find the big picture with Sean Fennessey. Yes, sir. Flops draft this month? Yeah, what do you think? You want in? Did it happen yet? No. I never get invited to the movie drafts. Flops draft. Of course I want in. You Speaker 2 (0:19) were just on a draft just Speaker 4 (0:20) recently. I want Speaker 2 (0:21) to be on the flops Speaker 4 (0:22) draft. Did Speaker 2 (0:22) we not talk about the flops draft? No. You're invited as well, Speaker 4 (0:24) of course. Speaker 2 (0:24) August 25th, flops draft. Yeah, I thought it would be a good idea. What Speaker 3 (0:27) a Speaker 2 (0:27) great idea. Yeah. Any movie, what's the threshold? Is it sub $30 million? Sub $50 million at the box office? We've got to figure it out. Speaker 1 (0:34) I like how you were like hype involved. Speaker 2 (0:36) Sub 50 % on Rotten Tomatoes. You know, like what is a flop? How do we define it? I can't wait to Speaker 4 (0:42) talk about it. Thanks for the invite. You're welcome. Hey, thanks for the invite. I appreciate it. Of course. CR. Yeah. Much like the people were trapped on the bus in Speed, you were trapped with Adam Friedland for six weeks. You escaped. Speaker 3 (0:54) You're back. Speaker 4 (0:55) It Speaker 3 (0:55) was a Speaker 4 (0:55) wonderful bus ride around Los Speaker 3 (0:57) Angeles with Adam. Speaker 2 (0:58) Talking soccer. You were going 50 miles an hour the whole time. That's right. Speaker 3 (1:02) And you're doing Speaker 4 (1:02) some Thrones. Speaker 3 (1:03) Is that done yet? Thrones Speaker 4 (1:05) ends Sunday the 9th. So by the time people hear this, we'll be done. Are we in the 1300s yet or no? 1200s? Speaker 3 (1:11) Yeah. You know, King Henry just came into this picture. We're excited about some changes he's going to make with dragons. The Speaker 4 (1:17) Vikings Speaker 3 (1:17) aren't in though. Speaker 4 (1:17) No. All right. No. We are going to do Speaker 3 (1:19) maybe Speaker 4 (1:20) the greatest action movie Speaker 2 (1:22) of all time. Speed. is next. Speaker 4 (1:25) This episode of the rewatchables is presented by the movie mutiny only in theaters, August 21st, our guy, Jason Statham stars in mutiny, the new action thriller from the director of plane. I like that movie when an international conspiracy turns deadly. That always happens. Statham goes off the grid on a one-man mission. I love one-man missions to take down those responsible. And if you're a fan of the beekeeper, the bag or the expendables guilty, this is exactly the kind of movie you want to see Statham in. You've sold me. One of the defining action stars of the last 25 years doing what he does best. I agree with that. Think Die Hard on a boat. That sounds great. Mutiny, only in theaters August 21st, rated R for strong, bloody violence in language. There you go. Speaker 4 (2:32) You already did a rewatchables episode on speed in 2017. Now you have more categories. What do you do? What do you do? Speaker 4 (2:42) Yeah, we did this movie nine years ago. Fuck it. It's Speaker 2 (2:45) the re-speed. I told Eileen that we were doing this, and she said, no, you guys did that already. And I was like, I've never done a podcast about speed. I love speed. I was so excited to get the text from Bill about speed. And she was like, no, I know that this happened because I listened to this episode and loved it. But it was almost 10 years ago that that podcast happened. Who was on that podcast? Speaker 4 (3:05) It was Donny Kwok, Concepcion, and Shay. It was one hour, four people. And we had like four categories. It was one of the first 10 we ever did. That's amazing. Was I on it? No, you weren't on Speaker 2 (3:17) it. Yeah. Speaker 4 (3:18) I think you were salty that you weren't on it, actually. I think we had some rare chemistry issues. You and me? There was a trade demand. Wow. And then Speaker 3 (3:27) you Speaker 4 (3:27) came and Speaker 3 (3:27) put the rings Speaker 4 (3:28) on the table. Speaker 3 (3:29) Yeah. Speaker 4 (3:29) You demanded we trade it to SB Nation and we calmed it down. I was going to say Speaker 2 (3:33) PFT for CR straight up. Who says no? Speaker 4 (3:36) I texted you guys. We were all texting about it. Craig, is this your favorite Speaker 1 (3:40) one we've done? Love this fucking movie. Speaker 4 (3:42) Yeah. This is like when we do film school and it's like, let's learn about Citizen Kane. Speaker 4 (3:48) Kubrick. Like, this should be an entire, not only a class, but you could do a semester on why Speed is the perfect action movie because I think it is. The art of blockbuster filmmaking. Speaker 2 (3:59) I think that should be a class. This movie has very specific goals and it achieves all of them. Speaker 4 (4:03) And it doesn't rest for Speaker 3 (4:05) really a split second. There's not, there's one scene where people are standing still. Which one is that? When Jack gets his medal and then they go to the bar. That is the only scene where somebody is not running. walking very quickly on their way somewhere. A vehicle is moving. Somebody is falling. Somebody is running. And that seems good because it ends with Jack going, Speaker 4 (4:25) I'm going to go have sex. Speaker 2 (4:27) I'm going to go have some sex. Speaker 4 (4:29) This is the definition of a rewatchable. It's been on for 32 straight years. I remember seeing it in the theater. It could be on TNT. It could be on real cable. It's scary, but it's not too scary. It's really fun to nitpick. I couldn't believe how many nitpicks I had. I have so many nitpicks. I think I have 15 nitpicks, but they're all out of love. Speaker 2 (4:51) Yeah. I think it's okay for a movie like this to have some plot flaws because it's fucking absurd. It's a movie about a domestic terrorist who's putting bombs under buses. Right. Speaker 3 (5:00) I'll also forgive any nitpicks or flaws this movie has because if you tried to make it today, it would cost $1.3 billion. because they use the actual 105 freeway. They shoot an anamorphic all over Los Angeles, blowing shit up. Like, there is no movie industry world in which this is not being shot in Romania now and using a ton of CGI. Speaker 2 (5:22) We need more movies where buses drive into... private jets and explode on screen. Like that, what happened to this country? This Speaker 4 (5:31) is the thing, Speaker 3 (5:31) they're like, Christopher Nolan, man, nobody does it. I'm like, I'm Speaker 2 (5:34) like, Speaker 3 (5:34) Yacht Depart did Speaker 2 (5:35) this already Speaker 4 (5:36) for Speaker 2 (5:36) $31 million. Speaker 4 (5:39) It's funny because it was Die Hard on a bus. Yeah. Die Hard's 88. They're ripping off Die Hard right after. And they do this. Is Under Siege really the first ripoff? No, they're Pasture 57. Right. Speaker 2 (5:54) Under Speaker 4 (5:54) Siege 1 and 2. Sudden Death is being made with our guy Jean-Claude. But they did a whole bunch of them. Cliffhanger. Cliffhanger's another one. Die Hard on a Mountain. So nobody wanted to be in this. And now you look at it, they say fuck it, they do it. They basically, Keanu is not the first choice. Sandy Bullock's been floating around, hasn't made it. DeBond's never directed a movie. So they do this. And for the next three decades, everyone rips this movie off. I feel like this movie's been ripped off almost as many times as Die Hard. Where it's like, let's try it. It's really fast and it moves like speed. Yeah. But Speaker 2 (6:27) nobody's pulled it off. The vibe of it, for sure. I feel like people are trying to, they're chasing the high of this movie, which I still don't totally know what they did, what the chemistry was. And a lot of this, I have a lot of bias because I was 12 when this movie came out. And I saw it in theaters too. And I was like, holy Speaker 3 (6:43) shit. Speaker 2 (6:45) Yeah. When I got out of the movie. But I think that was true for most people. I mean, this was like a great word of mouth hit. People loved this movie. Speaker 4 (6:51) Well, Speaker 2 (6:51) I Speaker 4 (6:52) was doing nothing in 1994. Like, I didn't have a lot going on for those three years. Even I knew they moved the movie up. Yeah. It was like, it was, and I don't know how I would have known that other than reading like magazines because we didn't have the internet, but it was like, this movie is so good. They fucking moved it up. And it ends up going a week before the OJ chase, which is just, you know, the most bizarre wrinkle just in general. This movie comes out a week later, OJ's on the car chase, and you're watching it through the prism of like, I've never, I'm in Boston, I've never spent this much time with LA freeways in my life. Speaker 3 (7:28) Yeah, I mean, it makes Los Angeles seem like a reasonable place to navigate, driving-wise, weirdly. Like, I mean, they're almost surprised that there's traffic on the 10 in the morning. They're like, oh no, I'm going to be late for work. Speaker 2 (7:39) Yeah. But Speaker 3 (7:40) it's like... It made... It was still a time... Speaker 4 (7:43) That Speaker 3 (7:43) was like nitpick number 16. Well, the three of us grew up on the East Coast and we spent most of our life up until, you know, 30. I don't know. When did you move out here? How old were you? 32. How much time did you spend out here? I Speaker 4 (7:55) only knew LA through Beverly Hills Cop. That's how I... I mean, Beverly Hills Cop, this movie, and 90210. Yeah, it's like diehard speed, Beverly Speaker 3 (8:02) Hills Cop, Beverly Hills 90210. Like, your idea of what Los Angeles is like. And speed is kind of different because... I don't know, like Jack and Annie are like regular everyday people, kind of, even though they have extraordinary things happen to them. I mean, Jack, I guess, extraordinary shit happens to him all the time. Did this movie make you Speaker 4 (8:20) almost like... Sad that this wasn't the LA we moved to Like 90s LA, like the vibe of it. And you could feel it in the old 90210 reruns too where it just seems like you could move around better than now. Yeah. Like even at the end, they go from, they save the bus at the end, but then they have to go all the way downtown for the money drop. And it's like, tell them 30 minutes and 24 minutes later, they're all downtown. I was like, that would be like an hour and a half now Speaker 2 (8:47) to go from the Speaker 4 (8:49) airport to downtown LA. Speaker 2 (8:50) I always, Wonder if that's just like movie magic. You know, we always joke about that with Collateral where they're getting across town so quickly. Or if there was, if it actually was like half the amount of people lived here. Yeah. You know, was that actually the case? I mean, Speaker 3 (9:05) that's like when you read that, there's like that Didion essay where she was like, we were at our place on Franklin Avenue and then we just cruised over to Malibu. I'm like, what do you mean you cruised over to Malibu? Like, that would take two days. Speaker 1 (9:15) Oh my God. Especially now. Speaker 4 (9:16) So when you talk about perfect action movies, where you look out at the star, the plot's simple and great, and then it moves the way it moves. Did you make a list? Speaker 2 (9:27) I did. I'm very curious to hear what you guys think about this, but you were there for the 70s movies. There was an era of huge action movies in the 70s that were more event spectacle movies like Towering Inferno and Poseidon Adventure that were massive hits. And those movies, I think if you watch them now, don't really hold up. They're not really that fun to watch. You might have some nostalgic feelings for them if you watch them at the time, but... They all feel overlong. They've got these really baggy set pieces. It's full of all-star casts, but nobody really giving their best performances. They're Speaker 4 (9:56) all Speaker 2 (9:56) swollen. Yeah. But in the late 80s, early 90s, something happens. And it's kind of like this hangover effect from movies like Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop. Hollywood figures out a pacing and editing energy. Yeah. And then everything that comes in the wake of it is basically incredible for 10 years. Now, I have rose-colored teenager goggles on with these movies, but... Speaker 4 (10:17) No, I think you're right, though. Speaker 2 (10:18) So, tier, I'll do what I think is tier one. Can I Speaker 4 (10:20) give you one movie, though, that I think defied that from the 70s? The Warriors. Speaker 2 (10:25) Yeah. That Speaker 4 (10:25) movie's 91 minutes. Similarly, Speaker 2 (10:27) a movie where people are on the run the whole time. Right. Speaker 4 (10:30) That movie is the same kind of thing where it's like, I don't even know what you would cut. It's just like a filet mignon, which is what Speed's like. Anyway, go ahead. Speaker 2 (10:37) Okay, maybe I'll do tier two first. Okay. Tier two. Broken Arrow, Con Air, Independence Day, The Long Kiss Goodnight. Cliffhanger, True Lies, Last Action Hero, Last Boy Scout, Demolition Man, Fifth Element, Hard Target, Executive Decision. I'm sure I've forgotten some here and there, but that's mostly what I'm thinking. Tier 1, Die Hard, Crimson Tide, Hunt for Red October, T2, Point Break, The Matrix, Blade, Face Off, First Mission Impossible, Lethal Weapon, Fugitive, Heat, Under Siege, and I think at the top of the heap is Speed. Speaker 4 (11:13) I did an action movie championship belt starting with First Blood. Because I think First Blood was the first modern action movie. Where it's like, it starts out as a movie. And then all of a sudden, action gets added to it, right? But I had First Blood, Terminator, First Blood 2, Predator, Die Hard. It's just the belt getting passed. Lethal Weapon 2, Total Recall, Terminator 2, Under Siege. I have Cliffhanger in there. Other people don't. I think Cliffhanger's great. Speaker 3 (11:44) I think Cliffhanger's Speaker 4 (11:45) aged pretty well. I agree. The Fugitive and Speed. Yes. And you can just see, like, so that's 12 movies in 12 years. And they're all kind of leading to Speed. And Speed's learned lessons from, like, hey, what made the Terminator work? Yes. You know, what made, what's the best part about Die Hard? And then it just kind of was like an AI intelligence of all these other things that worked. And they just made it all happen together. Speaker 3 (12:11) So one of the things about Speed and Fugitive, those are two movies of my, one of my earliest recollections of saw the movie, went back and saw it the next day. Which goes to show you, like, The word of mouth that came out about both of those movies, even in the 90s when I was still like a nascent, like I'm starting to understand what film culture is. Like, even though my dad was in the house, like being like, oh, Speaker 1 (12:31) lots of people like this. Speaker 3 (12:33) It was like you were running around your friends like, have you seen Speed yet? Oh my God, dude, we got to go. And both of those movies are action films, but with thriller conceits. Like Fugitive is a Hitchcock movie, essentially like a wrongly accused man. And Speed could have been a Dirty Harry movie. Like, Speed could have been like, there's a crazy man, Speaker 1 (12:54) like, Speaker 3 (12:55) targeting buses in Los Angeles, but bomb squad detective Jack Traven. Yeah, Bronson, Eastwood. It could have been like a McQueen movie, but they turn it into this, like, widescreen, explosive, never-stop action movie. Speaker 2 (13:11) Yeah, I feel like adrenaline is the thing that they tap into with these movies. It's that feeling of just like you're shaking the whole time you're watching the movie and having fun at the same time. I Speaker 4 (13:19) would say adrenaline, problem solving. Like the guys that came, this next wave of action movie guys like Keanu, Snipes, Willis, Nick Cage. It's less about like those guys winning fights and being like the strongest, which is what we had in the 80s. And it's more like, how do we get out of this? I'll try anything. Oh my God, he's going to do that? Like when Keanu gets under the bus. It's fucking insane. No normal person would do that, you know? And it's the same thing with Die Hard. And I feel like Die Hard cracked the code on that when he's like, oh, what was it? The elevator shaft? What was the craziest thing he did in that movie? Or when he's swaying off the top? Yeah, I mean... But he's like a normal guy, like, ah, I guess I got to do this. Speaker 3 (14:03) I just think also, Speaker 4 (14:04) like, the Speaker 3 (14:04) taping to the back. I mean, all these... Yes. It's like... It's using your brain as much as your body. Speaker 4 (14:10) Yeah. pretty regular guys. Like Keanu Reeves barely wins a fight with Dennis Hopper. Like he's actually on his back. Speaker 3 (14:18) Well, the Hopper thing is another, it goes back to Alan Rickman and Die Hard or even Anthony Hopkins and Sons of Lambs where they're also like, the key to this movie is to grab the guy who's Tommy Lee Jones, Dennis Hopper, Anthony Hopkins, the villain who people are going to be absolutely like. magnetized by it. Speaker 2 (14:38) Connery Speaker 3 (14:38) in Speaker 2 (14:38) Hunt for Red October where you're just like, there's a hugely overqualified screen legend who is like, I'm just going to let it rip on this one. Speaker 4 (14:47) This would have been a fun Nicholson part. I think Hopper's great, but it's right in that zone where it's like you can almost steal the movie if you're in the evil guy part. Hopper's another one. Hackman, I guess. Yeah, he does it. But they all kind of dabbled in it. De Niro's one was Cape Fear. Were you born in the year of this movie? Two Speaker 1 (15:06) months after it came out. Speaker 2 (15:08) See? That's why he loves this stuff. Born for it. Who showed it to you? How old were you when you saw it? Speaker 1 (15:13) This was a movie that was like, my dad put it on for me and it just felt like it was always on TNT or something and it was a big cable watch back when people did that for me. Speaker 4 (15:22) Keanu. Speaker 4 (15:25) Point Break, Speed, The Matrix, and John Wick. Yeah. Just those four. That's about as good of a Mount Rushmore of... What kind of action movies did you make back in the day, Keanu? Well, you might have heard of John Wick. I made four of those. Did three Matrixes. But between Point Break and Speed, it's a little dicey for him. And that was part of the charm of this movie. It's like, really, Keanu? Just watched him bomb in Dracula. He was terrible Speaker 2 (15:53) in Dracula, but that was a big hit. That movie was very successful. I think it's... He was trying to do a thing that you see a lot of actors do now. This is something like Chalamet does, where you're really trying to balance the quality work with the mainstream work and trying to find a middle ground for those two things. And you can see that after Point Break, he kind of very strongly pivots against that. He's like, I'm going to do Shakespeare. I'm going to do... you know, arthouse films. I have the Speaker 4 (16:19) movies. Bill and Ted 2, Private Idaho, Dracula, Much Ado About Nothing, Cowgirl Gets the Blues, and Little Buddha. This was a fucking bender. Speaker 3 (16:27) When are we doing my own Private Idaho? Speaker 4 (16:29) It's a really good Speaker 3 (16:30) movie. It would be like the greatest zag ever for Speaker 4 (16:32) us to do that. Speaker 3 (16:34) I Speaker 4 (16:34) wonder how many, have you seen it? I mean, it's the movie that made those two guys best friends. Yeah. And then the research. I didn't even realize this, that River Phoenix died when they were filming Speed. And Keanu was so upset about it, they had to, like, fix the shooting schedule. Speaker 2 (16:49) Yeah, I didn't know that either. Who's his best friend? Speaker 4 (16:53) My own Speaker 2 (16:53) private auto would be a good episode. Speaker 4 (16:55) It's a really interesting movie. Do you want to participate? Speaker 2 (16:57) Yeah, of course. Yeah. Speaker 3 (16:58) It's Speaker 4 (16:59) a really good Speaker 2 (16:59) one. But that's obviously not a big hit. He's making a very specific choice. do something. He's great in that. Speaker 3 (17:05) I think he's fine. Too much to do about nothing. I mean, like, he got a lot of grief for it, but if you go back and watch it. I think Dracula is worse. I think Speaker 2 (17:12) Dracula, he sticks out like a sore thumb. Dracula is like laughing in the theater. Because Dracula is a cool movie. That's like a really fun horror movie that Coppola made, and he is not at his best. Speaker 4 (17:22) It's fine. This point break, it's obviously iconic. It was one of the first ones we've done. But it's kind of fun to make fun of him as it's happening a little bit. FBI! I think Speaker 3 (17:34) he's just really good in this. He's a little more yoked up in this. I like his hair. Him and Harry are in the office building right after they've rescued the people from the elevator, but they're trying to figure out whether Howard is in the building. And Harry's like, he would want to be close by. And Jack gets up and he just points at him like he's Joe Burrow. And I was just like, this guy's fucking cool, man. Speaker 4 (17:57) I love it. Speaker 1 (17:59) You Speaker 4 (18:00) know one thing I was thinking because they overthink everything now with TV and movies and everybody has to have a backstory and all kinds of shit. I like that we just don't know anything about Jack. Where's Speaker 1 (18:09) he Speaker 4 (18:09) from? I Speaker 1 (18:09) don't Speaker 4 (18:09) care. You know anything about Annie? Speaker 1 (18:13) Yeah. Nothing. Is he a vegetarian? Who gives a shit? Where Speaker 4 (18:16) does Speaker 1 (18:16) he Speaker 4 (18:16) live? We don't have the scene where he's just like getting ready to go to work in the morning and he's got like his dog. Like everybody else in America. Speaker 2 (18:23) Also, the villain does have a traumatic past, but it's not played for any kind of like character dynamic. It's just like, he's just like, fuck you, give me my money. Speaker 4 (18:33) Don't you think if they made this now it would be a half hour longer, which is fat? Yeah. And we would definitely see Jack like working out at Equinox. You know, and he just broke up with his girlfriend. Speaker 3 (18:45) Yeah. Speaker 4 (18:45) They would just add all Speaker 3 (18:46) this dumb shit Speaker 4 (18:47) to Speaker 3 (18:47) this character. Well, Speaker 1 (18:48) it's even Speaker 3 (18:48) like you think about Harry's death in this. It's like, he takes two seconds to mourn him. He's Speaker 2 (18:52) just Speaker 1 (18:52) like, no! And then he's like, all right, let's move Speaker 3 (18:54) on. We're still on the bus. We can't, like, what are we going to do? I Speaker 2 (18:57) think he does say, I'm going to rip your fucking spine out. And he's like, you'll do Speaker 3 (19:00) nothing like Speaker 4 (19:01) that. Yeah. It's actually a really good scene because, Bollock, who's unbelievable in this movie, she's so great. But she's like, Jack, I need you to stay with me. Yeah. Like, you got a lot of people counting on you, but he's not just like the typical. And that's what they were doing with these movies where they would have your hero, but he would also have some sort of Achilles heel or he sometimes couldn't handle the moment. He might get overwhelmed. A lot like watching Joe Burrow with a bad offensive line. That's right. Or Justin Herbert. Speaker 2 (19:29) Wow, that's tough. Or C.J. Stroud. You've been doing your research. Speaker 4 (19:32) Sandra Speaker 2 (19:32) Bullock. Speaker 4 (19:34) I Speaker 2 (19:35) don't know if this is the... Does that not apply to Drake May? Speaker 4 (19:39) shaky offensive Speaker 2 (19:39) line Speaker 4 (19:40) good we're taping this on July 31st good Drake May performance today yeah Speaker 2 (19:45) oh at camp hit AJ a couple times did he yeah Speaker 4 (19:48) the Speaker 2 (19:49) reporters are impressed how Speaker 4 (19:50) are you Speaker 2 (19:50) gonna feel watching AJ fine Speaker 2 (19:54) Fine. Speaker 4 (19:54) That's Speaker 2 (19:55) how Speaker 4 (19:55) I'm going to feel about Jaylen Brown. We both win. Sandra Bullock, I don't know if this was the... Bill, I Speaker 3 (20:01) definitely won. I Speaker 4 (20:02) got LeBron. We'll Speaker 3 (20:04) see. Speaker 4 (20:04) Okay. But that's what they said when the Trojan horse was delivered. We did it. Speaker 3 (20:08) Me and all my Trojan buddies were like, Speaker 4 (20:10) Oh, Speaker 3 (20:11) we got it! This Speaker 4 (20:12) fucking horse! Look at this thing! Lift that thing up! Speaker 2 (20:19) So Jalen Brown is the Trojan horse in this scenario? Speaker 4 (20:22) Yeah. Wow, interesting. Sandra Bullock, is this the all-time, you're going to have a fucking crush on me at the end of this movie performance or just on the top shelf? Speaker 2 (20:32) Way up there. I'm pretty sure I saw Low Potion No. 9 before this, though. So it's not like this was the first time I'd ever seen Speaker 3 (20:38) her. Speaker 2 (20:38) I saw Speaker 4 (20:39) four movies with her before Speaker 2 (20:40) this. Speaker 3 (20:41) She was in Demolition Man before this? She was. Speaker 2 (20:43) Yeah, I think I saw her Speaker 3 (20:43) in that. Speaker 2 (20:44) Yeah. The Speaker 4 (20:45) Vanishing. The Vanishing. Speaker 3 (20:46) Was that before Speaker 4 (20:47) this? Oh, yeah. Oh, interesting. And she's smoking hot in that. And then she's Speaker 1 (20:51) in... Speaker 4 (20:51) I'm Speaker 1 (20:52) not Speaker 4 (20:52) sure Speaker 2 (20:52) that's supposed to be the takeaway, but... Speaker 4 (20:53) No, she's in it for eight Speaker 2 (20:55) minutes. Speaker 4 (20:55) Have you guys seen The Vanishing? Speaker 2 (20:56) Smoke show. Speaker 3 (20:58) Absolutely. No, she's hot. That's why he spent three years looking Speaker 4 (21:02) for her. He's got posters of where she got abducted. And then she's in a... The Thing Called Love, whatever that movie, the River Phoenix music movie. Peter Speaker 2 (21:10) Bogdanovich movie, yeah. She's done before. Speaker 4 (21:12) One of Speaker 2 (21:12) the weirdest Speaker 3 (21:12) things I've ever done professionally is sit in a really small room with you and do the vanishing rewatch. Oh, yeah. I've heard that weird room. And you just did the voice like for 60 % of them. The Bridges voice? Yeah. Hello, Speaker 4 (21:24) Jeff. Hello, Jeff. I'm Bonnie. Speaker 4 (21:30) I'm the man you're looking for. We should bring, Barney should be one of Speaker 3 (21:34) the Speaker 4 (21:35) voices for the pod. I'll do it today. Would this movie be better with Speaker 2 (21:38) Barney? That Speaker 4 (21:39) thing called Love had her and Samantha Matheson. Speaker 2 (21:42) Yeah, sure did. And River. It was on my radar. I Speaker 4 (21:45) saw it in the theater. Not a bad movie. Didn't Speaker 3 (21:46) have a lot Speaker 4 (21:46) going Speaker 3 (21:46) on Speaker 4 (21:46) in Speaker 3 (21:46) 93 either. Speaker 4 (21:47) Not a bad movie. So yeah, but this was, I wrote in my notes a little Indy Navarrete-ish where it's like by the end of the movie, you're like, that person's going to be in my life now for 20 years. Speaker 2 (21:57) Yeah, for sure. They will be Speaker 4 (21:58) repeatedly casting her in movies. Speaker 2 (22:00) She has an incredible ability to have chemistry with any male lead. It does not matter how old or young they are. She is like born to be a mainstream movie star. She's a good actress, but like she's just really good at connecting with other people on screen and then you feel connected to her. Speaker 4 (22:15) That's a great way to put it. Yeah, you're right. She could be with... I mean, she was with Ryan Reynolds. Yes. Speaker 2 (22:21) And Speaker 4 (22:21) that Speaker 2 (22:21) movie worked so well. I don't Speaker 3 (22:24) really Speaker 2 (22:24) like Ryan Reynolds, but that Speaker 3 (22:25) was a huge hit, that movie. To your point about, like, what they focused on in this movie and what the screenplay focuses on. Speaker 3 (22:33) What's Annie's... Do we know where Annie is going to work? Do we know what Speaker 4 (22:37) her Speaker 3 (22:37) job is? We Speaker 4 (22:37) have no idea what Speaker 3 (22:37) her job is. She's sped. I know she speeds. She has... She smokes. CR. Yeah. Speaker 4 (22:45) I'm Speaker 3 (22:45) just Speaker 4 (22:45) saying. She doesn't just smoke. But who Speaker 3 (22:48) it is, it's Sandra Bullock Speaker 4 (22:49) and Keanu Reeves. She doesn't just smoke. Morning smoker. Yeah. Speaker 3 (22:53) That's a whole level of darkness. We'll explain Speaker 4 (22:56) that. Darkness Speaker 3 (22:56) or lightness? Like darkness or like the sun just came out because we're having a coffee. Speaker 4 (23:00) I'm Speaker 3 (23:00) having a coffee in an 8 a Speaker 4 (23:02) .m. dart. Getting on a bus. Speaker 3 (23:04) Would you be? Were you a morning smoker? Yeah. You were. I would get up, go downstairs, smoke. Go back upstairs when it happened. Whenever I got up. Like Speaker 2 (23:14) 11 a.m. or 9 a.m. For the Speaker 3 (23:16) longest time when I was working retail, we were not. greeting the morning. You know what I mean? So Speaker 4 (23:20) I, but I would get up smoke and then go shower. Speaker 4 (23:23) My takeaway knowing nothing on that character is just those little two tidbits told me she was out till three in the morning the night before. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Probably had four hours sleep. Might not have slept at her own place. Speaker 4 (23:37) Oh, interesting. Rallied back with the coffee cigarette. She's late for the bus. Fortunately, she knows Sam. She knows Sam? Are you Speaker 2 (23:44) calling Annie a loose woman? No, Speaker 4 (23:46) I think she might have had a big night Speaker 2 (23:47) the night before. That's why she was running a little late for that bus. The 8 a Speaker 4 (23:51) .m. To be like, that bus is a half hour. Let me wipe out this dart right before I get on the bus. Half hour's a long time. Speaker 4 (24:02) Just takes a couple puffs. Meanwhile. She's great and can drive a bus. I mean, she was really the dream girl. Speaker 2 (24:07) Yeah. I Speaker 4 (24:08) think when she apologizes when she has the bomb vest on, she's like, sorry. Speaker 2 (24:12) She's very special. Drive a bus? Is that on your hit list for things you want a woman to be able to do? Just jumped right in. I Speaker 4 (24:19) mean, would you know how to drive a bus, Sierra? Speaker 2 (24:21) No. Speaker 1 (24:22) I mean, I, like, is it, would you Speaker 3 (24:25) know how to drive a bus? Speaker 1 (24:26) Like Speaker 3 (24:26) driving a Speaker 1 (24:26) long Speaker 3 (24:27) car? Speaker 1 (24:28) Would I know how to drive a bus? Probably not. I feel like just getting a handle on that would take a bit. I think turning is probably a challenge. When she Speaker 3 (24:34) makes the sharp turn to get on the freeway, I'm like... That's impressive. One of the Speaker 2 (24:40) best parts about her and Keanu in the movie is when he realizes she's done a good job and he's like, wow, hey, pretty good. That's them connecting. Speaker 1 (24:49) It's kind of funny that he doesn't ever say, I'll drive for a little bit. That's true. There's a lot of time where they're just standing there and she's driving. If you think it's the cop, you'd be like, I got Speaker 4 (24:57) it. Well, there's what, 40 minutes into the movie, he's like, eh. Speaker 1 (25:02) I might take a crack at Speaker 4 (25:03) this one once we get off the bus. Speaker 2 (25:06) I Speaker 4 (25:06) don't know what she's doing later. Yeah, I think she's thinking the same thing. It's funny because we did Obsession. We recorded that one on Monday. It's very similar to Indy Navarrete in that movie where you're just like, I like this person. And Sandra Bullock always had it. She finally put it together. And now where I just saw a trailer for Practical Magic 2. Yes. It's still going. Three and Speaker 2 (25:30) a half decades later. I was at CinemaCon in April and she came out to talk about that movie when I was there. And she's like 62 years old or something. She looks like she's 39. It's insane. Speaker 3 (25:39) How many... She doesn't really make that much stuff anymore. Speaker 2 (25:42) I was shocked. Speaker 4 (25:43) She had less than 60 IMDB credits. Speaker 2 (25:46) She's basically Speaker 4 (25:47) been two a year max. Is this her Speaker 2 (25:49) first movie since The Lost City? I feel like it is. She hasn't really made a movie in about four or five years. She does have kids, yeah. Speaker 4 (25:58) I actually know... It's a long, random story, but the person she's with now, just like normal LA person. Speaker 3 (26:04) Cool. Speaker 2 (26:05) Yeah. That's great. She always Speaker 3 (26:07) had Speaker 4 (26:07) the rep. Sam the bus driver? Speaker 3 (26:09) She Speaker 4 (26:09) ended up with Sam. But she always had the rep for most normal Hollywood star. Because some of them, you'd be shocked to know, aren't that normal. Speaker 2 (26:17) She's one of those people like Leo or Denzel where they still matter. People actually will still just... People went to go see The Lost City. Regardless of whether or not you liked that movie. That movie was actually a hit almost entirely because she is still a draw in a unique way. Speaker 4 (26:32) Well, the funny... We haven't done Gravity yet. It's on the list. Oh, yeah. But that's one where that's basically a Matt Damon, The Martian, Tom Hanks cast away. I think that's her biggest hit. Yeah, it's just me for an hour. Yeah. And that's like the last level of movie stardom if you can carry a movie like that. Just be like, it's just me, guys. You're going to enjoy watching me try to figure out stuff and get mad at myself. You also just Speaker 3 (26:54) like, if you think about all the different ways you could have shuffled the deck of the two people who could have been the cop and the woman who's driving the bus. And if it's like. And there's a version of this movie that's like Jean-Claude Van Damme and Natasha Henstridge. And you're just like, that movie probably is like borderline entertaining, but you're not like zoomed in on what's happening at the wheel of the bus and watching these two people kind of fall for each other. Yeah, and Speaker 4 (27:18) also like Speaker 3 (27:19) really magical Speaker 4 (27:20) chemistry with them. They're wonderful together. In an action movie. Speaker 2 (27:24) Yeah, I agree. And I think that it's more likely that you were going to get that. That's part of Speaker 1 (27:28) the reason why the movie Speaker 2 (27:28) is just... is a forever movie. It's like they kind of nailed all those particular choices that had to fall into place. Yeah, when Speaker 3 (27:34) you go through the casting what-ifs, it's not like, oh, well, we were looking at, you Speaker 2 (27:37) know, Speaker 3 (27:37) Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, but we just, it's like this, they were like, I guess we'll try Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. Like, nobody knows who she is and he was in Point Break a couple years ago, but. Speaker 2 (27:49) The same goes for Jan de Bon. Like, it could have just not been him. It could have been any number of other filmmakers because it was just like, this is a hot script. It's Speaker 3 (27:56) a Speaker 2 (27:56) studio movie. You got to pick the right people. He'd never made a movie before. But you get this Dutch maniac who's been studying under Verhoeven for 25 years. And you get a guy who's willing to do all this crazy shit in this movie. I mean, the practical stuff that they're trying to pull off, that they do pull off in the movie, is insane. And he Speaker 4 (28:11) brought a bunch of new stuff that wasn't, like the bus jump. was like his idea. The whole elevator, first 20 minutes, like he, that was him on Die Hard. But Speaker 3 (28:21) even Speaker 4 (28:21) like Speaker 3 (28:21) when, Speaker 4 (28:21) when Speaker 3 (28:22) the first bus blows in Venice and Jack is like running up to it and then like the flames are jumping and he's like, ah, ah. I'm like, is that Keanu Reeves next to like actual active fire? Probably. Like, Speaker 2 (28:34) did they have any oversight? That's the thing is the flip side of it is this is clearly a much less safe time in Hollywood. But, So many of the things that they do in the movie, so many of the action set pieces, if they were making it now, they would have just said, ah, we'll just fix that in post. We will be able to digitally touch this, so it's all fine. And some of the sequences wouldn't look as good. They definitely wouldn't feel as good. They wouldn't feel as deep and real. Also, all the stuff like the elevator shaft is all miniature stuff that they built by hand and then shot together. It's just like, it's kind of the last moment, right? It's pre-Armageddon. It's pre-Independence Day where... Speaker 4 (29:11) It's a year before Twister. Or a year and a half before Twister. It's just Speaker 2 (29:14) right at the end of that CGI transition where everything big and explosive just goes into that approach instead of this approach. And it's why it's such a forever movie. I Speaker 4 (29:24) like Speaker 2 (29:24) those movies too. But this one is... I love those movies as well, but this one is almost entirely done practically. It's like The Fugitive. It's like, let's take Speaker 3 (29:32) this thriller concept, but take it to its most extreme, but still... and logical extension of like, have a train crash. Have this guy, have this St. Patrick's Day parade be the setting for a Speaker 4 (29:47) chase scene. And then have buses. And we love The Fugitive. We've done it twice, including Infernal Lab audience in Chicago. This movie moves way faster than The Fugitive. Sure. Fugitive, there's a Speaker 3 (29:58) couple slow parts. Speaker 4 (29:59) Did Speaker 3 (29:59) you Speaker 4 (29:59) ask Danny Kelly if he would change his name to Ian? Speaker 3 (30:02) Not yet. Does Danny Speaker 1 (30:04) Kelly know that Scoot McNary is Speaker 3 (30:07) playing a character named Danny Kelly? Yes, he was just Speaker 1 (30:09) informed. Somebody on Twitter sent him a screenshot of... They talk about the character's name being Danny Kelly in the show, right? Yes, being very Irish. Does anybody Speaker 4 (30:17) call him DK? Speaker 1 (30:18) No, not yet. Okay. Speaker 4 (30:19) Not Speaker 1 (30:19) yet. Speaker 4 (30:20) That was a Bill Simmons note. Speaker 4 (30:23) First year of the pod. Changing to Jan. Can't both be Danny and the pod. Speaker 1 (30:27) And now neither of them are Danny. It's Heifetz and DK. Speaker 2 (30:30) Yeah. Speaker 4 (30:31) Hopper. Little Hopper resurgence. Sure. Starting with True Romance. The Hopper side. Speaker 2 (30:37) I would argue that the Blue Velvet Hoosiers thing is what puts him back on the map. That in 86, he makes those movies. He gets an Oscar nomination despite being one of the well-known maniacs in Hollywood history. literally a crazy person who did crazy shit in the 60s and 70s. And then he makes this crazy comeback. And then he gets like a 15-year gravy train where he gets tons of studio movie parts. His true Speaker 4 (30:59) romance, speed, and water world. Yeah. All back to back to back. I didn't know who, I wasn't like a going backwards movies guy. I knew him from Hoosiers first. It's like, oh, shooter. Wait, coach is getting kicked out? Let the shooter take over the team? What's going on here? But he ended up having a nice run. And I would love to say, oh, it should have been somebody else for this part, but I think he's like a home run. Speaker 3 (31:25) Yeah, I mean... I think he's so good at that. He has like this malevolence that can come out of nowhere that, you know, even going back to Blue Velvet. And an energy that you can see in Apocalypse Now and see in any of his classic performances that is that kind of aging method, wildcat, untamed animal. True romance talking about the Moors. Yeah. I mean, it's just so special, man. It's just really special to watch. And even though Howard, I'm not even really sure what his ideology was. Yeah. Or like what the plan was. Also, why'd he blow up Speaker 2 (31:59) that house? That was in a nice location. You think that was his house? Whose house was that? It was his house. They tracked him down. He Speaker 1 (32:06) had the chips pushed all the way in. Right, Speaker 2 (32:08) so Speaker 1 (32:08) he blew up his own house just to kill Harry. Speaker 3 (32:11) That's kind of Speaker 1 (32:11) crazy. He's like, I was going to Speaker 3 (32:12) move anyway. That's Speaker 1 (32:13) what Speaker 3 (32:13) Mike Gansey did to get LeBron. Speaker 1 (32:15) He was like, just to show you how in I am. He blew up my own house. Speaker 4 (32:21) Then we got Jeff Daniels who pulls off the double Harry in 1994. He's a dumber dumber in speed. Kind of a weird moment where Speaker 2 (32:28) he's slumming it a little bit, but it makes both of those movies so much better that skilled actor Jeff Daniels is in them playing the fourth lead. It's really strange. I Speaker 4 (32:37) think he, in the research, he was basically saying, I didn't realize this movie was good until