Speed (1994)

Dennis Hopper's Howard Payne can dominate Speed while remaining physically separated from its bus. His pleased, needling delivery turns the radio exchanges into a contest whose rules he keeps enjoying more than anyone else. Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock provide the film's essential practical chemistry, making this the closer call on the list. Hopper earns the argument through the bomber's ugly playfulness, which gives the mechanical danger a personality.