--------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPEED goofs list, 5.1 (spoilers)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
v5.1
01AUG94
Created by legeros@pagesz.net
CONTENTS
--------
i. Introduction
ii. Changes to 5.1
I. Elevator Sequence
II. Freeway Sequence
III. Bus Jump Sequence
IV. Airport Sequence
V. Subway Sequence
VI. Etc.
i. Introduction
===============
The first five sections of this list only contain VERIFIED goofs. Said
gaffes can be continuity errors, logic flaws, whathaveyou. Any goof that
can be reasonably explained (and agreed upon) is moved to the section on
answers.
For example, the query "why didn't all the two-way radio signals set off
the bomb" is not a goof. Hopper is shown, later, using a cellular phone
to trigger the bomb.
Anyone who can explain (or can agree on an explanation) is encouraged to
reply. Some goofs may be, later, relegated to a section on "Missing
Scenes." For example: the most likely explanation for "why Reeves and
Daniels don't seem winded after climbing 30+ floors in a split second"
is that they cut a scene of them riding an elevator up to the 30th
floor.
Finally, almost all of these entries were submitted in good spirit. Most
of us agree that SPEED is a dynamite film and these observations are a
testament to our enjoyment.
ii. Changes to 5.1
==================
All goofs, gaffes, questions, and answers are no longer separated into
seperate sections. Everything will be listed in the appropriate
section, using the following symbols:
G: Gaffe
Q: Question
A: Answer
E: Explanation
M: Missing Scene
I. Elevator Sequence
====================
Q: Why didn't the guard call someone when he found something strange,
per standard security protocol? In some cases, procedure is to call
in anything odd. Even if this is not the policy here, however, it
would be standard for the guard to call in every 15-30 minutes. (from
gbyshenk@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu and jdnicoll@engrg.uwo.ca)
G: When Reeves and Daniels pull up to the scene, you can clearly see
skid marks from earlier takes. (from johnt@dadd.ti.com)
Q: Are Reeves and Daniels from SWAT/TAC or "bomb disposal?" No, there
was no SWAT ID on their gear - the filmmakers left it squishy. But if
this -had- been the bomb squad, Jeff Daniels (clearly established as
a bomb techie) would not not NOT have been partnered with Keanu "I
just work here" Reeves. Their TAC weaponry was also way out of line
with the needs of a bomb detail. (from preacher@mit.edu)
Q: How could Reeves and Daniels run up 30+ floors without getting winded
or exhausted? And in 20 minutes or less? (from DEHP@calvin.edu and
jmatthew@advtech.uswest.com)
A: Missing scene of them taking an elevator to the 30th floor and then
going from there? (from legeros@unx.sas.com)
G: If the crane was going to snap loose, it would have done so during
the first fall when the elevator had all the momentum. Physics. (from
bandguy@osuunx.ucc.okstate.edu)
Q: Is a roof-crane cable, like the one shown, rated to withstand the
weight of a full elevator? (from legeros@unx.sas.com)
A: The cable probably would withstand the weight for a brief time (less
than an hour order of magnitude); but I doubt it would withstand the
shock it took in the movie. (from bh1t+@andrew.cmu.edu)
Q: Why didn't the elevator counterweight bend out the doors before the
elevator did? (from carol@edfua0.ctis.af.mil)
A: The counterweight is smaller than the elevator... it won't buckle, it
won't bend, it probably won't bounce. What it _will_ do is go
straight down and hit very hard. The elevator, on the other hand, is
not as structurally strong as a solid piece of metal, and it's
significantly larger. When it hit, the walls and door buckled,
probably outwards, it probably crumpled asymmetrically, and part of
it probably crumpled outwards towards the ground-floor door. (from
r.furr@genie.geis.com)
M: Were there body parts in the parking deck that were attributed to
Hopper? The body of the guard, perhaps? (from
jdnicoll@engrg.uwo.ca)
Q: If the body parts found in the explosion were attributed to Hopper,
didn't anyone become suspicious when the security guard came up
missing? (from kazel@uiuc.edu)
II. Freeway Sequence
====================
G: When the first bus blows up, there is a van directly in front of it
going the same speed and pulling the bus with a rope. (from many,
including blorton@crl.com)
G: After the first bus blows up, Keanu is told that the money must be
given by 11:00. He then checks his watch (a Casio) which is
displaying the ALARM time of 8:05. So what time is it? (from
martin@metronet.com)
Q: Wouldn't an old Ford Bronco tip over, trying to make the moves as
depicted in the movie? (from dcarter@supra.East.Sun.COM)
Q: When Jack was chasing the bus on foot, and the bus wasn't traveling
too fast, why didn't he just pull out his gun, and shoot out the
tires? (from brianvan@bga.com)
G: In the rush-hour highway scenes, the car density on the highway keeps
changing. The overhead helicopter shots show pretty thin (by L.A.
standards) traffic volume, but the on-the-ground shots show a much
busier highway. (from raymondc@microsoft.com)
Q: How did the driver of the commandeered car end up seemingly uninjured
after striking those barrels without wearing a seatbelt? (from
bigboote.WPI.EDU)
A: He got saved by an airbag. Those suckers deflate really fast, so any
reaction shot wouldn't show anything (except for a big white bag
hanging out of the steering column). (from raymondc@microsoft.com)
Q: How the bus could manuver in heavy LA traffic?
A: There are also lanes along the divider of most freeways which are
reserved for emergency vehicles. The bus could have used them, but
didn't. I've made the run along the 10 from L.A. to Santa Monica a
number of times, and I doubt I've had to go below 50mph, unless it is
rush hour.
The bus had help from the cops only when it was on city streets and
the Century Freeway. (from dickson@merope.caltech.edu)
Q: How could a bus swideswipe so many cars and not drop below 50?
(from bigboote.WPI.EDU)
Q: How could a bus make the 90-degree turn?
A: I know firemen who claim to have cut corners, ala SPEED, and have
lifted two of four wheels off the ground. (from legeros@unx.sas.com)
G: Tilting mechanism visible during infamous 90-degree turn. (from
various including nyberg@ctron.com)
Q: Why do the police leave the bus driver on the flatbed? (He's visible
right before the bus takes a flying leap.) (from
jmatthew@advtech.uswest.com)
Q: How do you explain the map error?
A: The map company put in an error to provide proof in the event of
copyright violation by another map company! (from
jdnicoll@engrg.uwo.ca)
Better explanation: a mistake. My experience in traffic reporting is
that map "misquoting" is common. (from legeros@unx.sas.com)
III. Bus Jump Sequence
======================
Q: Can any vehicle jump a gap, as depicted?
A: Yes.
Q: Without a ramp and still make it?
A: No.
A bus travelling at 70mph will drop 4 feet by the time it has
travelled 50 feet from a drop-off, and take a half a second to get
there.
Here's how:
V at Time(zero sec.)=0 feet/sec.
V at Time(0.5 sec.)=16 feet/sec.
Average V=8 feet/sec.
8 feet/sec for .5 seconds = 4 feet.
(from nyberg@mer-mail.ctron.com)
G: Said ramp is visible. (from gbyshenk@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu, among others)
IV. Airport Sequence
====================
Q: Why were normal airport operations continuing (planes taxying, taking
off, etc.) while a bus packed with explosives was in the immediate
area? (from kazel@uiuc.edu)
Doesn't the FAA have rules requiring the "shutting down" of the
*entire* facility during an event of this sort? (from
legeros@unx.sas.com)
G: Early (overhead) shot shows billboard missing from the left side of
the bus. Later shots show billboard mysteriously returned. (from
legeros@unx.sas.com)
Q: How can Reeves so calmly step onto the running board of the a vehicle
traveling 50 mph.
A: He just did it. Ridding a running board is easy. I've done it one
fire trucks travelling the same speed. (from legeros@unx.sas.com)
Q: How can Reeves hold onto the underside of a bus traveling at 50mph for
so long? How did he get from the lower half of the undercarriage to
the access panel without scraping his legs on the ground? (from
kma@netcom.com)
Q: Why didn't all the fuel didn't leak out of that sure-looked-big hole?
A: The hole wasn't on the very bottom of the tank. Pour a paper cup
half-full of water. Poke a hole in the cup one quarter of the way up the
cup. Half of the water will run out, and then stop. The gas tank on
the bus, however, probably sloshed a good bit, and therefore
continued to dribble gas out of the hole. (from
r.furr@genie.geis.com)
Q: Why doesn't the fuel run out as fast as the gauge moves?
A: The rate of decrease of fuel in the tank (of almost any vehicle) is
NOT linearly proportional to the movement of the gauge over the
entire range of the gauge. For example, in my car, when the tank is
half full, the gauge will drop down slower towards the empty sign
than when the tank is 1/4 full. (from G.Sanderson@ais.gu.edu.au)
Q: How can Hopper read the insignia of Bullock's sweatshirt on such a
seemingly small monitor?
A: The monitor size is no problem, he obviously had quite a video setup
and could easily have switched it to one of the larger screens.
Whether the camera would have enough resolution to read it is a
better question. (from guy.weathersby@sandiego.ncr.com)
Q: Why else would he call her "wildcat?"
A: He was crazy, not stupid. He was also very thorough. He must have
ridden on the bus a couple of times to make sure the route was
possible. If he did this a few times over the course of a month or
so, he would have noticed Bullock's character as a regular rider (she
had obviously been riding for a while, since she knew the driver's
name and was friendly with him). Hopper also seemed to have a habit
of using nicknames ("hotshot" or "wildcat"),so that wasn't too much
of a stretch. (from cirby@gate.net)
Q: Can you really loop video tape?
A: You can't, but I can, with a screwdriver, a razor blade, and some
editing tape... and so could anybody who's been in the video industry
for more than, say, ten years or has taken a class in AV production
on obsolete equipment (assuming they weren't using Digital Betacam or
something similar).
(That was 3/4" U-Matic they had on hand, wasn't it?) Of course, they
probably didn't do that... that van looked pretty up-to-date, and
probably didn't have an editing block on hand. However, if that van
DID have a non-linear editor on board, it'd be entirely possible for
them to loop a digital store of the footage. Unlikely, but
possible. Alternatively, with a little creative work, they could
have done two tapes and flipped between them. (from
r.furr@genie.geis.com)
Q: Why do Reeves and Bullock appear to be moving "backward" when then
escape the bus?
A: When Reeves amd Bullock slide off of the bus, they're originally
travelling at the same speed as the bus. Once they're on the ground
sliding, the friction starts slowing them down, and the pop out from
under the bus. They are going the same direction as the bus, but
since they're slowing down while the bus stays at a constant speed,
it appears that they're going the opposite direction. You can
clearly see in the next scene that they are travelling forward as
they skid to a halt on the dirt, while the bus goes off to meet the
cargo plane. (from pestka@willow)
Q: Why wasn't the driver of the towing vehicle (of the plane) injured in
the explosion? (from bandguy@osuunx.ucc.okstate.edu)
Q: Why didn't the news media, who was on the ground and outside the
restricted runaway area, report the explosion of a jet? (from
legeros@unx.sas.com)
Q: Why didn't Hopper hear the airport fire units traffic on his
scanner? Surely he would've started to monitor those frequencies
once the plane went boom boom. (from legeros@unx.sas.com)
Q: Why didn't Hopper notice, on his tracking device, that the bus
stopped moving (after it blew up?) (from sysop@elan.rowan.edu)
V. Subway Sequence
==================
Q: Why were passengers boarding a subway car that was heading to the
"end of the line?" (from bigboote.WPI.EDU)
A: After the villain takes control of the train (and perhaps after he is
killed; I don't remember for sure), there is a quick scene showing
the train exiting a station platform without having stopped. In
other words, there was at least one completed station between the
place where the passengers boarded and the end of the line. (from
ed@wente.llnl.gov)
Q: How can Hopper climb and fight while still holding
the detonator?
A: He's holding a deadman's switch. The switch obviously has a bit of
leeway built in, as evidenced by the scene with Hopper taunting his
hostage by letting the switch go, and then quickly snapping it back
down. (from r.furr@genie.geis.com)
Q: Why does the subway abruptly end?
A: Because it does. In real life, the LA system is still under
construction. There was no more line. (from legeros@unx.sas.com)
Q: Why didn't Reeves move all those explosives to the back of the
train when he knew he was going to crash? Or drop them off the
train, entirely? (from sasbck@unx.sas.com)
Q: Why didn't Reeves try the "emergency brakes" that the customers can
access? Admittedly, the "main" emergency brakes at the "dashboard"
(console) were out, but why would other emergency brakes be out?
(from smayer@netcom.com)
Q: Where were Reeves and Bullock going to jump to from a 45mph+ subway
car?
Q: Why didn't the train stop automatically? At least on the NYC subway
the signal system includes physical trips (ask over in rec.railroad
for the correct name) that activate the train's breaks if the train
goes past a signal that is against the train. You can see them go up
and down as the signals change colors. When there is a work crew on
the tracks they often use portable trips that can be placed along the
track before the train gets to the work area. (from
reynolds@panix.com)
Q: Why did the police call the train, to tell Reeves that the track was
unfinished, but no one called to tell the workers about a runaway
train? (from guy.weathersby@sandiego.ncr.com)
A: Because Reeves couldn't call back to tell them he was "runaway."
Q: Why couldn't the power simply be shut down to the train: (from
bigboote.WPI.EDU)
A: Reeves tried to respond to the message from the chief, but the
train's radio wasn't working. Ergo, he couldn't call anybody and
tell them (1) where he was, (2) what sort of trouble he was in.
(from raymondc@microsoft.com)
Q: Why doesn't either the subway's deadman switch OR the train's
accelerator (to slow the train) work?
A: The controls are obviously damaged. (from gbyshenk@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu)
Q: Why are do the lights flicker, when the train has left the tracks
and which is presumably the source of its power? (from
David_Cole@guru.apana.org.au)
A: Subway cars have reserve electrical power, in the event of a power
outage during normal usage. Sounds good to me! (from
legeros@unx.sas.com)
Q: Can a derailed subway car *really* skid as far as depicted?
G: During the subway skidding scene, sparklers are clearly seen shooting
sparks several inches down on pavement. Sparks should be coming from
metal/pavement contact. (from carol@edfua0.ctis.af.mil)
VI. Etc.
========
G: Bullock can't look away from the road for up to 15 to 20 minutes.
Try it: sit in your car, imagine you are going 50+ mph, then look
toward the passenger seat as if there were someone there to converse
with. (from gbyshenk@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu)
Q: Why does Bullock accompany Reeves to the drop point? (from
bigboote.WPI.EDU))
Q: Why was Daniels, both the "brains" of the bomb squad and recently
disabled, leading the assault team? (Instead of sitting behind the
desk after recently being shot.) (from jamestyu@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu)
Q: Why does Daniels keep alternating his "cane leg?"
A: If you're trying to take the weight off an injured right leg, you're
supposed to use the cane on the left side (your weight is supposed to
stay on the opposite side all the time).
However, I can attest from personal experience that unless you use a
cane every day, it's easier to switch back and forth depending on
which arm is most up to the challenge and/or what works best with the
furniture layout wherever you are at the time. (from
preacher@mit.edu)
G: As the bus and police cars pass under the camera you can see elongated
shadows of all vehicles--including the camera crane!!--on the left
side of the screen. (from johnt@dadd.ti.com)
G: Reflections of camera crew spotting in various windows at various
times (such as when Reeves is trying to get the driver's attention
and when the passengers are being off-loaded). (from various
including mcelhane@cherokee.nsuok.edu)
G: Film is speeded up in the 90-degree turn and when Reeves is lowered
beneath the bus. (from darrenl@natinst.com)
G: For someone who has just gotten more stitches in her leg than a
football, Annie seems to be walking around pretty normal. (E.g.,
when she walks out of the ambulance.) (from raymondc@microsoft.com)
Copyright 1994 by Michael J. Legeros
[an error occurred while processing this directive]