Most critics find Speed a tightly controlled action thriller whose improbable premise sustains considerable tension. Praise centres on the direction, inventive set pieces and a script that keeps the action moving without weighing it down with elaborate plotting. The leads also draw considerable approval, with several reviews crediting their performances and charisma for making the danger engaging rather than merely a succession of stunts.
The spread is wide, though the reservations mostly concern credibility, dialogue and characterisation. Empire finds Keanu Reeves wooden but argues that the action and wit make the film work; Time Out admires the momentum while judging that it eventually overreaches. The Independent is the clearest dissenter, finding the film slow and short of humanity despite admiring some stunts and the leads. What most critics welcome as narrative economy becomes, in that account, a shortage of reasons to care.