In reply to Don Larsson:  Yes, Speed is formulaic, but aren't they all?
So are Elizabethan sonnets.  It's what you do with the formula that
matters.  Speed has three acts:  elevator, bus, and subway car.  Each
maintains a high pitch of suspense with enough surprises and tension to
keep you on the edge of your seat.  Speed is as efficient as its title.
True Lies sagged in many points and stumbled between sitcom farce, spy
spoof (poking fun at James Bond), and preposterous action.  At least
that's how it struck this viewer.  But the best thing about both films
was the women (Bullock and Curtis) not the male action heroes.  Andrew
Gordon