50 MPH

Kris Tapley

Get ready for rush hour! 50 MPH is a podcast dedicated to the making and legacy of Jan de Bont’s 1994 summer movie blockbuster SPEED. Across 50 episodes, this one-of-a-kind oral history takes you on a breakneck journey from conception to execution, distribution and beyond. Join entertainment journalist Kris Tapley as he talks to the people who made it happen and discusses their memories of an electrifying thrill ride that defied expectations and became a global, star-making phenomenon. Through conversations with actors, executives, filmmakers, film scholars and film fans, 50 MPH will attempt to secure SPEED’s rightful place in the canon of action cinema on the way to celebrating its fast-approaching 30th anniversary in style. Don’t forget to fasten your seatbelts! read less

TV & FilmTV & Film

Play Trailer

Get Ready for Rush Hour (50 MPH Trailer)

Get Ready for Rush Hour (50 MPH Trailer)

Welcome to 50 MPH, a behind-the-scenes podcast hosted by entertainment journalist Kris Tapley that charts the development, production and legacy of director Jan de Bont’s Oscar-winning 1994 summer blockbuster SPEED, starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Dennis Hopper and Jeff Daniels. (TRAILER)

Episodes

46 MPH / The Best Action Movies of the '90s (with Die Hard on a Blank)

46 MPH / The Best Action Movies of the '90s (with Die Hard on a Blank)

It's time to place SPEED in the context of '90s cinema, beginning with an assessment of the decade's best action films. From TERMINATOR 2 to THE MATRIX and all points in between, Die Hard on a Blank hosts Philip Gawthorne and Liam Billingham join the fun to discuss.

45 MPH / Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock: The 50 MPH Interview

45 MPH / Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock: The 50 MPH Interview

50 MPH proudly presents an exclusive interview with the stars of SPEED, Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, as they look back on the film’s chemistry-fueled production, its impact on their careers and the lightning strike of a Hollywood success story.

44 MPH / Homestretch Grab Bag

44 MPH / Homestretch Grab Bag

As 50 MPH nears the finish, we pause for one more grab bag of fun anecdotes, listener emails and our own version of a sequel: a 7-year-old's take on SPEED 2: CRUISE CONTROL! Hear, among other things, SPEED-adjacent tales from TWISTER and TOP GUN, plus a very special announcement.

43 MPH / The Most Disappointing Sequels Ever (with Jacqueline Coley)

43 MPH / The Most Disappointing Sequels Ever (with Jacqueline Coley)

From Indiana Jones to the Blair Witch, Rotten Tomatoes Awards Editor Jacqueline Coley joins the cause to discuss the sequels that let us down the most.

42 MPH / Speed 2: Lose Control

42 MPH / Speed 2: Lose Control

Director Jan de Bont and others unfortunate enough to be involved in SPEED 2: CRUISE CONTROL (plus a few who dodged the bullet) discuss SPEED's disastrous 1997 sequel starring Jason Patric, Willem Dafoe and a returning Sandra Bullock.

41 MPH / The Fallout of a Phenomenon

41 MPH / The Fallout of a Phenomenon

Surveying the aftereffects of SPEED and how its various players parlayed the film's star-making success into their next ventures.

40 MPH / Directors on Speed

40 MPH / Directors on Speed

Filmmakers Paul Verhoeven, John McTiernan, Guillermo del Toro, Barry Jenkins and Joe Carnahan chime in on SPEED and fellow director Jan de Bont.

39 MPH / Fans Feel the Need for Speed

39 MPH / Fans Feel the Need for Speed

From scrappy theater productions Down Under to epic collector quests to, ahem, podcasts dedicated to a legacy, the fandom surrounding SPEED is a global affair.

38 MPH / The Cinema of 1994 (with Jonathan Foster)

38 MPH / The Cinema of 1994 (with Jonathan Foster)

Where does SPEED fit in the overall cinema landscape of 1994? Podcast host Jonathan Foster helps dissect a movie year celebrating its ongoing 30th anniversary.

37 MPH / Relitigating the 67th Academy Awards (with Anne Thompson)

37 MPH / Relitigating the 67th Academy Awards (with Anne Thompson)

SPEED deserved its awards but did the Oscars get everything else right 29 years ago? IndieWire's Anne Thompson joins in to check the Academy's work three decades on.

36 MPH / The Glitz! The Glamour! The Oscars!

36 MPH / The Glitz! The Glamour! The Oscars!

At the 67th annual Academy Awards, held on March 27, 1995, SPEED would walk away with multiple Oscars. Those in the mix recall their Cinderella evening.

35 MPH / The Movie of the Year

35 MPH / The Movie of the Year

SPEED hits theaters and it's an instant popular and critical success. Filmmakers and studio brass relive the glory days that came in the wake of June 10, 1994.

34 MPH / Selling Speed

34 MPH / Selling Speed

SPEED is ready for its close-up, but first, Fox has to figure out its marketing strategy. How can execs drive interest and turn this potential hit into an actual one?

33 MPH / The '90s Movie Soundtrack Boom (with Todd Gilchrist)

33 MPH / The '90s Movie Soundtrack Boom (with Todd Gilchrist)

In the wake of Billy Idol, Variety's Todd Gilchrist joins the cause for a deep-dive discussion of a bygone era: the 1990s movie soundtrack heyday!

32 MPH / Give Me What I Need!

32 MPH / Give Me What I Need!

Episode description not available.

31 MPH / Now Hear This

31 MPH / Now Hear This

A seasoned team races against the clock to craft SPEED's Oscar-winning sound design, with a fast-approaching release date on the horizon!

30 MPH / A New Action Score

30 MPH / A New Action Score

With the picture locked, SPEED needs a score! Enter newcomer Mark Mancina with a groundbreaking work of action film music composition. DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN!

29 MPH / A VFX Hybrid

29 MPH / A VFX Hybrid

Settle in for a deep dive into the visual effects elements of SPEED, including old-school practices and cutting-edge post-production applications.

28 MPH / Order Out of Chaos

28 MPH / Order Out of Chaos

As SPEED moves into post-production, 50 MPH brings you the final interview ever with the late Oscar-nominated film editor John Wright!

27 MPH / Underground Technique

27 MPH / Underground Technique

Finally, we reach SPEED's gripping subway finale! Deep beneath the surface, Jack Traven faces his foe in a brilliant collision of filmmaking technique.