Under the Influence of Speed

All summer I waited for the movie, Speed to make its way to the Roseville 4 so I wouldn't have to shell out more than two bucks to see a movie I was interested in, but hardly could classify as cinema (and by golly I'm not the type who will just go to a movie). Of all the blockbuster summer smashes, this is the one whose reviews and plot description caught my fancy. Well, last week, it finally arrived. And I quickly sped right on over to see it.


I was not disappointed. It was a fun movie, full of action, suspense and that Sandra Bullock, I need not say anymore (she made me have another of my occasional allergic reactions full of tears of familiarity hitting me in a still vulnerable spot). It occurred to me while I was contemplating what I learned inside the movie theater that afternoon, that the movie was an excellent commentary on life in today's society.


After all, isn't life just like a runaway bus? Out of control, headed in a singular direction? Going way too fast but somehow there is the feeling that if you slow down, take the time to actually evaluate stuff, it's all going to blow up in your face? Stuck among a bunch of strangers who you either don't care for or you develop a common goal which brings you together somehow if only for a moment? We all have our routines, our routes, and when events throw us off that schedule, often it is hard to make the adjustments without all hell breaking loose. Bury that head in the sand. Bus Alert!


The bad guy in the movie, played by Dennis Hopper (or maybe he wasn't playing), created all the havoc, was willing to hurt innocent(?) people just because he felt his life's work wasn't justly compensated. Who among us hasn't felt the same frustration at some point? You work like hell and no one seems to notice. You feel as if you could just make one grand statement, blow it off your chest, you'd be a healthier individual (or you would go off the deep end). Just be thankful we work with CDs, LPs, and cassettes, not with explosives. There are a lot of people out there who feel like life owes them something


Yeah, the fifty foot flying bus stretched credibility just a bit, but sometimes in life you reach a point where you have to take risks; risks that you wouldn't take under normal circumstances, but you are just too damned tired and all else seems lost. The logical approach might be to figure out how to defuse the situation in front of you, but the easier action is to just watch it unfold in front of you. Who among us doesn't take the easiest route when at all possible?


There was a repeated line that popped up a couple of times in the movie, where Keanu and Sandra said to each other, with irony in their love stricken eyes, "Relationships that begin under extreme circumstances never work out." Most of the time only shared experiences don't lead to coupledom. What draws us together can be dangerous. But there are other reasons to get involved. This movie's philosophy was right on the mark.


And yes, they never did get control of the bus. It blew up. Real good. Somehow no matter how hard you try, life will eventually do the same. Believe me.