---
title: "Speed 2: Cruise Control"
year: 1997
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/speed-2-cruise-control"
fi1m_id: "speed-2-cruise-control"
imdb_id: "tt0120179"
tmdb_id: 1639
wikidata_id: "Q831800"
fi1m_score: 36
critics_score: 35
critics_reviews: 6
published: "2026-09-16"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:40.261331+00:00"
region: "PL"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)

Directed by Jan de Bont · 2h 05m · PISF 12 · Action, Thriller

## Identity

Speed 2: Cruise Control

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/speed-2-cruise-control
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** speed-2-cruise-control
- **IMDb ID:** tt0120179
- **TMDB ID:** 1639
- **Wikidata ID:** Q831800
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120179/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1639, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q831800

**Fi1m score: 36** · Critics 35 from 6 reviews

*In a sentence:* A cruise ship in peril should not leave this much time to admire the ship

> Jan de Bont’s cruise-ship sequel has some well-organised action, but little urgency and too little for Sandra Bullock to do. Jason Patric supplies some assurance; the screenplay supplies a long wait.

## Synopsis

Annie (Sandra Bullock) is caught in a crisis aboard a cruise ship, with Alex (Jason Patric) facing the danger alongside her. Geiger (Willem Dafoe) is the villain threatening them, while Juliano (Temuera Morrison), Merced (Brian McCardie) and Captain Pollard (Bo Svenson) are also drawn into events. Annie and Alex need to keep themselves and others safe as the trouble develops at sea. The vessel is central to their predicament: its size and slow movement shape the dangers facing the people aboard.

## Review

Jan de Bont’s *Speed 2: Cruise Control* is a poor sequel with some capable action and a central problem it never solves. A cruise ship provides plenty of space for things to go wrong, but its slow movement makes it difficult to feel that disaster is seconds away. An action thriller can survive a silly premise if the people and the timing are persuasive. Too much of these 125 minutes passes without either doing enough to keep us interested.

The screenplay, by Randall McCormick and Jeff Nathanson, relies on familiar danger without finding much that feels particular to these people. Annie, played by Sandra Bullock, ought to give the film someone worth following through all this trouble. Instead, she is pushed aside too often, leaving the action without the performer most likely to make its absurdity enjoyable. The writing also takes too long to establish any momentum, so the anticipation wears off before the better sequences arrive.

Jason Patric brings a useful assurance to Alex, suggesting someone who might be capable of handling an emergency. He is not the problem, though his scenes with Sandra Bullock produce little warmth or friction. Willem Dafoe has less to work with as Geiger, a villain whose thin characterisation makes menace feel like a job requirement. Neither performance can give the screenplay the relationships it has neglected to develop.

Jack N. Green’s cinematography and the production design by Bill Kenney and Joseph C. Nemec III give the ship enough physical presence to make the large-scale action worth looking at. We can appreciate the space and the effort involved in putting it to use. The better action is competently arranged, and there is some pleasure in watching the film handle a cumbersome setting. But we spend too much time registering the size of the vessel without worrying about anyone aboard it.

Alan Cody’s editing cannot find a sustained pace in material that has already taken too long to get moving. Mark Mancina’s score cannot supply the urgency missing from the action, however much the film needs it to. We were bored by the ship’s slow progress because the characters gave us so little else to care about. Between the action sequences, there is far too much time to notice how familiar the jeopardy has become.

Compared with the original, this is an action film that takes too long to make anything feel pressing. Slow movement need not defeat a thriller, but it requires close attention to what is at stake and who is at risk. Most critics found the result disappointing, and we agree, despite the improvement when the film finally settles into delivering its action. Those passages may satisfy anyone chiefly interested in the mechanics of a large vessel in trouble. For suspense, choose something else.

*Fi1m score 36, published 16 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics find Speed 2: Cruise Control a sluggish sequel that fails to recover the original’s excitement. The main complaints concern a derivative screenplay, familiar jeopardy and a cruise ship setting that gives the action too little urgency. Praise is limited, but several reviews acknowledge the engineering of the action sequences and the special effects, particularly towards the end. The Los Angeles Times also singles out Jason Patric’s charisma as a welcome asset.

The spread is wide, ranging from enjoyment of the spectacle to rejection of almost everything on offer. RogerEbert.com provides the clearest dissent, finding the film entertaining despite its silly premise and stunts. Other reviews find competent staging insufficient compensation for the slow pace, while reservations about the cast concern Sandra Bullock being sidelined and the leads lacking chemistry. The harshest responses see mundane action and an aimless plot where the more sympathetic reviews find serviceable thrills.

## Straight answers

**Is Speed 2: Cruise Control worth watching?**

*Speed 2: Cruise Control* is not worth watching for anyone wanting suspense, and we scored it 36. The action, when it finally arrives, is competently arranged and the ship has real physical presence, but the screenplay takes too long to get moving and gives Sandra Bullock too little to do. Only those interested in the mechanics of a large vessel in trouble will find much here.

**How long is Speed 2: Cruise Control, and what is it rated?**

*Speed 2: Cruise Control* runs 2h 05m and is rated 12 by the PISF in Poland. It is an action and thriller film.

**Where can I watch Speed 2: Cruise Control in Poland?**

*Speed 2: Cruise Control* is streaming on Disney+ in Poland, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from zł 9.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Speed 2: Cruise Control, and is it suitable for children?**

*Speed 2: Cruise Control* carries a UK PG certificate, so its violence is the mild, large-scale action kind rather than anything graphic or frightening. Willem Dafoe's villain is thinly written and never especially menacing, and the ship's slow progress drains most of the tension. Older children who enjoy action films should be fine; the squeamish have nothing to fear except boredom.

**How does Speed 2: Cruise Control compare to The Wages of Fear?**

*Speed 2: Cruise Control* shows how slow movement can sink a thriller, while [*The Wages of Fear*](https://film.one/film/the-wages-of-fear) shows how the same slowness can make one almost unbearably tense. Clouzot's film is by far the better of the two, because it keeps us worrying about who is at risk and what is at stake. Choose the earlier film for suspense; the sequel only for its ship.

### Reviews we read (6)

- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film fun as a summer popcorn movie despite its silly premise and stunts. He singles out the impressive special effects sequences, especially the ship crashing into shore, for praise. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/speed-2-cruise-control-1997)
- **Variety**, Emanuel Levy (50/100, inferred): The review calls the film a serviceable summer action-thriller hampered by a derivative, cliche-ridden screenplay that takes too long to deliver its goods. It praises the well-engineered action sequences in the final act but notes the leads lack chemistry. [Read](https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/speed-2-cruise-control-1117341118/)
- **Empire**, Andrew Collins (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a pedestrian thriller that fails to recapture the excitement of the original and sidelines Sandra Bullock. Action sequences are competently staged but lack urgency due to the slow-moving cruise ship setting. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/speed-2-cruise-control-review/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the sequel derivative and slapdash compared to the original, with overly familiar jeopardy situations and a makeshift quality. He singles out Jason Patric’s charismatic performance as the film’s best element. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-06-13-ca-2814-story.html)
- **The AV Club**, Stephen Thompson (10/100, inferred): The film fails in every way as a sequel, with a feeble and aimless plot that cannot match the original. The critic singles out the villain's one-dimensional portrayal and the mundane action sequences for particular complaint. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/speed-2-cruise-control-1798195342)
- **Film Stories**, Simon Brew (10/100, inferred): The critic ranks it last in the franchise and declares it the weakest of the Speed movies, concluding that it makes the fatal mistake of being absolutely shit. It is slow where the original was fast, with the subtitle Cruise Control accurately signaling the lack of pace. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/features/ranking-the-speed-movies-in-order-of-quality/)

## Details

- **Director:** Jan de Bont
- **Director:** Jan de Bont
- **Screenplay:** Randall McCormick, Jeff Nathanson
- **Story:** Jan de Bont, Randall McCormick
- **Cinematography:** Jack N. Green
- **Editor:** Alan Cody
- **Music:** Mark Mancina
- **Production design:** Joseph Nemec III, Bill Kenney
- **Costume design:** Louise Frogley
- **Producer:** Jan de Bont, Steve Perry, Michael Peyser
- **Cast:** Sandra Bullock as Annie; Jason Patric as Alex; Willem Dafoe as Geiger; Temuera Morrison as Juliano; Brian McCardie as Merced; Glenn E. Plummer as Maurice; Colleen Camp as Debbie; Lois Chiles as Celeste
- **Runtime:** 2h 05m
- **Certificate (PISF):** 12
- **Release (Poland):** 19 September 1997
- **Genres:** Action, Thriller
- **Budget:** $160 million
- **Box office:** $165 million

## Where to watch in Poland

- Disney+: streaming, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent zł 9.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy zł 44.99, sd

*Checked 2026-09-16.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *The Poseidon Adventure* (1972): Another passenger list in danger, with considerably more reason to worry.
- *Runaway Train* (1985): For those who prefer their runaway vehicles to generate some actual dread.
- *The Taking of Pelham One Two Three* (1974): Tense negotiations and dry humour keep a transport crisis moving.
- *The Wages of Fear* (1953), Fi1m 90: A lesson in how slow movement can be almost unbearably tense. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-wages-of-fear.md)
- *Unstoppable* (2010): A railway emergency handled with the urgency this cruise keeps missing.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/speed-2-cruise-control