Speed is a perfect action movie. And it also just so happens to be perfectly symmetrical. The first and second halves mirror each other, and the middle point is a particularly dramatic moment. Prepare to have your mind blown similar to what it looks like when a bus crashes into an airplane.

The Chiasmus

Keep in mind that these are all Jay’s words, not mine. He is responsible for the brilliance of this chiasmus summary.

A. The camera pans down an elevator shaft during the opening credits
 B. Howard Payne kills a security guard, saying, “Nothing personal”
  C. Businesspeople get trapped inside an elevator after its cables detach
   D. Jack Traven makes his intro by launching his police car in the air
    E. Harry Temple and Jack climb the stairs and wait over the hostages
     F. Jack hooks up the elevator to a crane to save the hostages from falling
      G. Jack and Harry rescue the hostages from the elevator
       H. Payne shoots at the ceiling of his freight elevator and nearly blows Jack’s head off
        I. Jack shoots Harry, and Payne escapes by seemingly blowing himself up
         J. Jack gets awarded for shooting Harry, not realizing Payne is alive
          K. Herb “Mac” McMahon happily toasts Jack and Harry not getting dead
           L. Harry says Jack needs to start thinking
            M. A bus driver named Bob hints that Jack should find a girlfriend
             N. Bob’s bus explodes near Jack
              O. Payne tells Jack there’s a bomb on a bus, and he can’t remove its passengers or else it will explode
               P. We see the bus and its passengers for the first time
                Q. Jack chases after the bus to try to stop it from going over 50 MPH
                 R. Jack commandeers a Jaguar to catch up with the bus
                  S. The bus goes over 50 MPH, unknowingly arming a bomb
                   T. Jack jumps onto the bus through its door
                    U. A passenger shoots the bus driver Sam, forcing Annie Porter to take the wheel
                     V. Mac leaves the police station in a helicopter to help Jack
                      W. Jack sees the bomb under the bus through an access panel
                       X. The bus exits the freeway in a risky maneuver
                        Y. Harry comes up with a new strategy to unmask the bomber
                         Z. The bus has lots of close calls, and Jack begs Mac to get him out of there
                         AA. Annie misses a turn to avoid hitting schoolchildren
                          BB. Annie makes a hard right to enter an empty freeway
                           CC. Mac gets off the helicopter to follow the bus in a ground vehicle
                            DD. Jack and Annie talk about what Payne wants
                             EE. Mac tries to offload the passengers, but Jack says no
                              FF. Jack talks to Payne to save Sam’s life
                               GG. Sam safely gets off the bus
                               GG. Helen dies while trying to get off the bus
                              FF. Payne gloats over killing Helen
                             EE. The passengers verbally fight until Jack puts a stop to it
                            DD. Jack and Annie talk about Payne killing Helen to get what he wants
                           CC. Mac and the rest of the police cars disengage from the bus
                          BB. Annie jumps the bus over a gap in the freeway
                         AA. Jack tells Annie to enter an airport, and she barely misses some guards
                         Z. Payne praises Jack’s close calls, and he agrees to let Jack off the bus
                        Y. Jack leaves the bus to strategize how to disarm the bomb
                       X. Jack goes under the bus in a risky endeavor
                      W. Jack tries to disarm the bomb under the bus
                     V. Harry leaves the police station to go get Payne
                    U. Jack’s carrier gets damaged, forcing him to hold onto the bottom of the bus
                   T. Jack pulls himself back into the bus through its floor
                  S. Harry accidentally triggers a bomb in Payne’s house
                 R. Payne mentions a Wildcat, which helps Jack figure out why Payne is always one step ahead
                Q. Mac tracks down a news van to get their help
               P. An airport bus come to the rescue to get the passengers off
              O. Jack gets the passengers off the bus before it explodes
             N. The bus explodes near Jack and Annie
            M. Jack introduces his new girlfriend Annie to Mac
           L. Jack outsmarts Payne
          K. Payne furiously erupts when he realizes he can’t blow up Jack
         J. Payne says Jack won’t shoot Annie, and he doesn’t notice when Jack gets aboard his train
        I. Payne shoots a train driver, and he threatens to blow up Annie to escape the police
       H. Payne shoots at the ceiling of his train car, and he gets decapitated
      G. Jack removes the bomb vest from Annie
     F. Jack tries to break the pole Annie is tied to, but he can’t free her
    E. Jack increases the train’s speed and waits to die with Annie
   D. Jack launches the train in the air for his final action set piece
  C. Annie is freed from her bonds after the train derails
 B. Jack kisses Annie, intending to get very personal with her
A. The camera pulls back from a train as the end credits roll

My Thoughts on This Chiasmus

Isn’t that amazing? It’s funny that one of Die Hard’s many clones is also a chiasmus. That’s an incredible coincidence. Or maybe it’s just that brilliant minds think alike.

Let’s discuss some cool things I noticed in this analysis. I love that the two bus explosions match up perfectly, as do the two times that Jack makes it onto the bus while it’s in motion. And how about that turning point? It makes perfect sense, huh? Good old Sam makes it off the bus safely, but then poor Helen goes a little crazy and gets herself killed.

That showcases the two possibilities the story could take from there. Either the rest of the passengers are going to make it off the bus safely like Sam, or they’re going to die in an explosion like Helen. Thankfully, we know that the chiasmus has a happy ending. But that’s the thing about a chiasmus. Things can happen exactly the same in two places, or the opposite can take place, and they still rhyme.

I’ll have even more Cinematic Chiasmus articles for you in the coming weeks. I hope you’re enjoying the speed with which we’re pumping these out.

This is the Deja Reviewer bidding you farewell until we meet again.

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