Speed Kills
Studio: Saban Films
Directed by Jodi Scurfield
Nov 16, 2018
Web Exclusive
It would be hard to convince anyone John Travolta was once a major star and box office draw, but if you look at his extensive filmography the numbers don’t lie. From Saturday Night Fever to Grease, and a little bit of everything in between, Travolta’s name used to get people to the theater.
Like most aspects of the film industry, Travolta’s career has drastically changed and the roles that once put him atop the box office charts aren’t there anymore. His latest, Speed Kills, is a wholly empty action-thriller, which follows familiar beats throughout an ineffective and bland 102-minute film.
As the movie opens, Ben (Travolta) is selling boats and hiding in his back office from a shadowy gentleman who is wondering if he is there. It’s clear Ben has had some bad run-ins with this person and the movie gives us the extent of their problems up front, which fails to help the movie find any kind of tension for the rest of the runtime.
Speed Kills then transitions to two decades earlier, where Travolta is still playing Ben, without much effort to make him look younger. He is put in touch with a nefarious gangster named Meyer Lansky (James Remar), who offers to help Ben find some business opportunities. Ben isn’t interested because he has developed a passion for boats and begins designing fancy boats for people who are willing to pay a lot of money for them.
As the movie progresses, Ben’s business begins to grow, wives come and go and honestly none of it really matters. The movie is director Jodi Scurfield’s only credit and it is unclear why this would be someone’s first work because it’s such standard by-the-numbers schlock, one can’t imagine this serving as a calling card for future projects.
Most interestingly, Speed Kills was also made as a VR project (as well as the standard movie) so perhaps there is a more interesting and immersive experience to be had. As is, Speed Kills is another dud for Travolta.
Author rating: 3/10
Average reader rating: 6/10
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November 22nd 2018
7:22pm
The Director “Jodi Scurfield” is not a real person. It is a pseudonym because no one wants to take responsibility for this POS. Try finding a pic of Jodi or His/Her bio.