Speed (1994)

The pitch fits on a napkin: a bomb on a Los Angeles bus will go off if it drops below 50 miles an hour. That is all a reluctant viewer needs to know, and it keeps them leaning forward to the end. Keanu Reeves plays the cop, Sandra Bullock the passenger who ends up behind the wheel, and their easy chemistry keeps things light between the stunts. Jan de Bont made it as his debut as a director, and it won two Oscars for its sound. Pure 1994 action, no homework required.