User Reviews

The biker gang were about as scary as a bunch of moped kids on a council estate. Not the worst but by no means suitable for a Sunday afternoon watch. Maybe a drunken Friday B movie when waiting for the main event.

When this movie starts it looks like a normal TV movie where something dramatic will happen. Where the characters will have to work together in order to overcome the issue at hand. While the cover suggest that the lead character is male (Desmond Harrington from "Dexter") this is not true. The lead is Julia Mond who plays a deserted soldier from whatever reason. And she is the one who organizes the diverse characters and make a stand against the Nomads (who apparently can't speak). Once the terror of the Nomads begins you have to prepare yourself for one unrealistic event after another. Otherwise you will have a very hard time in enjoying this movie. I mentioned that this started out as a normal TV movie. Nothing is further from the truth. This is one violent movie. It's bloody and gory. And because you don't expect these normal characters to commit these actions it can be shocking (Compared to Mad Max 2 Exit Speed is much more cruel and that is saying something). Overall this movie is pretty decent. I only wished that Fred Ward had a much bigger role then he got. Also I would have liked to see a more realistic approach in the Siege the bus passengers are put in.

I would not have expected much from a film titled 'Exit Speed'. However, my brother recommended it and I decided to give it a shot. In a nutshell, 'Exit Speed' is a thriller about a group of passengers travelling to Texas when, on the way, they are attacked by a murderous biker gang. It is pretty much what one would call a popcorn thriller. The film would have been more fun to watch had the execution been up for the marks. It looks like a past midnight TV movie or a straight-to-video flick. It certainly would have benefited with a bigger budget and more style. The cinematography is dull. The background score is awful. Most of the cast, with the exception of Lea Thompson act from mediocre to bad. Thompson is the only one who's up for the mark. But perhaps a bright side is that the worst actors are killed off. The suspense is maintained well enough. Surely it is easy to predict who will die and what will happen next and so on but the tension between the gang and the passengers and within the passengers is well conveyed. 'Exit Speed' will perhaps be best enjoyed if the viewer took it for what it is rather than nitpick. It's nothing more than a popcorn thriller.

Exit Speed opens with a female AWOL Army soldier being caught up with by Sergeant Archie Sparks (an underused Fred Ward, star of Tremors, one of my favorite b- movies ever), whose job it is to go after errant soldiers. It seems that this particular soldier, Meredith Cole, has a history of going AWOL, and that the Army has some pretty lax punishment procedures involving unexcused absences. I always thought this was a fairly serious offense, but maybe not. Back in the good old days of Mao Tse-tung's Red Army, they would just execute defecting soldiers on the spot. Sometimes in advance, for effect.

But wouldn't you know it, as soon as Sparks turns his head, that darn Private Cole is off and running again, hopping onto a Greyhound bus on its way across Texas. Unaware of the dangers of such a trip because of lessons not learned from everything from the Texas Chainsaws to the moronic Jeepers Creepers (or The Fast and the Furious, as it turns out), the bus is soon surrounded by a group of lunatic street bikers, who do wheelies all around the bus at freeway speeds and offer the passengers a series of alarming scowls. Before long, one of the idiot bikers makes a mistake and ends up under the wheels of the bus, and the rest of them take it personally.

I'm reminded of the fascinating contents of that passenger airliner that crashed at the beginning of Lost. Man, they had everything, didn't they? The same thing is going on here. There's the AWOL soldier, a girl who once dated a biker and so is an encyclopedia of knowledge about everything they all need to know about their new enemies, a girl who is rated a "Dark Elf" in archery, for crying out loud, a football coach with anger issues, even a bus driver who once drove the six miles into Baghdad airport, reportedly the most dangerous stretch of road in the world. With my luck, I would have been in a bus full of Japanese tourists and adventurous grandparents were we to be ambushed by a biker gang.

Luckily at some point we are informed that bikers such as these guys have a history of being loaded to the eyeballs on crystal meth, because there is no explanation whatsoever of where they come from or why they attacked the bus in the first place. They are faceless villains with no motivation, and so are nothing but fodder for our heroes to dig deep inside themselves to summon up the courage needed to off them in spectacular fashion.

And the movie does have that going for it, at least. It is awesomely stupid, but those of you looking for an action movie that makes up for the total absence of cleverness with an few extra levels of violence, this is your movie. But those of you who might be driven to smack your forehead when you hear a girl say she can't shoot an arrow at one of the men trying to kill her and all the other passengers because she's VEGAN, then you might be better advised to run for the hills, bikers or not.

But at least there's some comedy is outlandishly bad characterization, right? I don't know why this girl thought she might have to eat the man that she killed, but even better was the guy who mentioned that he once tried to get a job singing in a wedding chapel but was afraid he might screw it up. My thoughts are that if you can screw up a job like that then you had plenty of problems even before the bikers attacked your tour bus. But now you present a bigger problem for your female co-passengers, who can expect little to no help from you in avoiding a violent death at the hands of a bunch of meth-heads.

There is something to be enjoyed here for people who really aren't looking for much, but the truth is that the biker that got run over is all we're ever given as far as a reason for why the whole movie is happening in the first place, which makes it feel like a pointless exercise in showing random people killing random bikers. If there was something real driving the movie it could easily have been much better, or at least if the protagonists weren't facing a group of faceless villains. As it is, it comes across like a tour bus barreling across the Texas countryside with no driver, and us stuck in the front seat looking through the windshield.

Exit Speed was an interesting movie. It seemed like something that would come on a Saturday afternoon in the late 70's. I thought in the beginning , what in the world is this gonna be about because I refuse to read the back of the box (so to say) I like to be taken by surprise and with this choice I was. It keep you watching and rooting for the good guys.

To put a small synopsis there for you I will say that it was about passengers on a bus that was kidnapped and thru their strengths, weakness, talents, and idiosyncrasies, they band together to survive this crack smoking, nose piercing, biker group from Hell.

I liked it and I think you will too.

It's Christmas in Texas. Military Police Archie Sparks (Fred Ward) is hunting AWOL Corporal Meredith Cole (Julie Mond). She escapes and boards a bus with a variety of passengers. The bus is harassed by a passing biker gang. One of the bikes fall over and the bus runs over it. The biker starts shooting killing the bus driver and others. They manage to kill the biker but the rest of his friends come looking for revenge. They drive into an isolated scrap yard and must fend off the criminals.

The story is thin and worthy of any number of B-movies. It's not that believable in the age of cell phones and interconnectivity. The whole movie isn't that realistic. The biker gang seems more like central casting rejects. It's a cross between Mad Max 2 and Home Alone. The junk yard is stock full of MacGyver material. There is some cat-and-mouse stuff in the night. It does have some fun 80s action. There are some solid actors here doing it for the paychecks.

All along, I felt like I was watching a classic B-lister from a previous decade. A good one, entertaining, with atmosphere and character. Well written (which is rare enough nowadays), well acted... The pleasure taken translates into my note, a solid 7/10.

Then I watched that extra on the DVD, the making of, and I couldn't believe how tiny the budget actually was. Plus, they were cursed with bad weather all along their three days filming, forcing them to be even more clever to hide any signs of rain on the film. Well, if true, and I have no reason to disbelieve, then all I can say is bravo! If I was to rate according to budget, this one would deserve a 10.

Just by looking at the cover/poster for "Exit Speed", then you know that this is going to be one of those movies. But still, there is something oddly alluring about these movies that makes us come back and watch them. Perhaps it is because they tend to be some overly campy, or because there might be a snowball's chance in Hell that the movie will surprise everyone and turn out to be good.

"Exit Speed", however, did not turn out to be one of those movies that just blindsides you and turn out to be interesting or particularly entertaining.

One of the things that actually made me sit down to watch "Exit Speed", despite knowing well enough that the chances that this would be another low budget failure of a thriller, was because the movie had Lea Thompson and Fred Ward in it.

The storyline is probably what makes this yet another of those run-of-the-mill movies that flood the market and fail to make an outstanding notification of itself. "Exit Speed" is about a group of people on a bus that fall prey to a gang of bikers.

Aside from the questionable storyline, then the characters in "Exit Speed" also turned out to be mechanical and one-dimensional. That means that you, as a spectator, doesn't really care about any of the characters in the movie.

The effects in "Exit Speed" were simple, but they served their purpose well enough. However, don't expect to be blown away by a myriad of special effects or practical effects.

I managed to sit through the entire movie, but I must admit that my attention span for the story was hard pressed. And while I did see the movie to the end, I can't really claim to have been properly entertained by what I witnessed in "Exit Speed".

Saw the big "North American Premiere" in Dallas last night at Studio Movie Grill. Lots of cast and crew were there; it was different since we don't usually have this kind of excitement in Big D.

Lea Thompson and crew did a wonderful job of keeping us entertained, but the Spanish speaking Mr. Vargas (played by Everett Sifuentes) stole the show. He was adorable and hilarious. Subtitles were not provided, but that was much of the charm.

There will be no Oscar nominations, but for a new production company getting off the ground, a cast and crew that consisted of a lot of 'no-name' actors, and limited special effects (by today's standards), the movie was very entertaining and had a lot of great lines.

Whatever entertainment this rehash of John Carpenter's Assault On Precinct 13 may have provided is undone by lame attempts on the part of the filmmakers to score cheap political points.

The whole thing's basically an exercise in politically correct stereotyping. The heroine is an AWOL Iraq War vet/victim, apparently forced into the military by her mean, draft-dodging politician dad, giving a few characters a chance to (yawn) take pot-shots at Bush/Cheney.

As the other smart and righteous characters, there's a single mom (Lea Thompson sure has sunk!), a hippie vegan girl, a black girl, and a Mexican guy. Unfortunately for the superior folks, they're saddled with a few stupid white men who act like blow-hard jerks.

However, there is one token smart white guy. Though he's been on hard times and learned the error of his white-devil ways. More importantly, he's sooo cute!

The two stars I give it are for the bloody gunshots and projectiles. They deserve a better script!

Let me start off by saying that it blew away all my expectations. The trailer looked good so I picked it up expecting yet another low budget, straight-to-DVD action flick with small appearances by a couple of semi-recognizable stars (Fred Ward, Tremors; Lea Thompson, Back to the Future). Big mistake; this movie was so much more.

This was not your standard action movie. The characters start out as one dimensional cardboard cut-outs that all find themselves on the same bus to El Paso (ex-GI chick with mysterious past, angry coach, horny teen, artsy chick, foreign guy, worried mom... you get the idea). But when the action picks up and situations start to arise, each character shows a second or third dimension. Seriously, even people who die early on become more than just cardboard cut-outs. Props to the screenwriter and director for creating such great characters.

Another great thing about this movie is its strong female characters. There are no damsels in distress who need to be saved here. Every woman, in her own way, is an absolute bad*ss. I'll even go as far as to say that there is a character in this movie who ranks among Ripley and Sarah Connor in the most bad*ss woman in cinema category.

If I have to nag about something, though, it's the pacing. There are a couple of long stretches in this movie where little to no action happens, but I guess that's where character development fills in nicely.

I'll end by saying I recommend this movie to anyone who loves a good action and that this movie deserves a much higher rating than its current 5.0/10.

This was a total surprise. It was a very fun and entertaining thriller. While the plot was pretty generic it was very fast paced and full of action. I was also very shocked by the amount of blood and gore their was. The kills were also very well done. There was some shocking kills and most of the characters weren't that annoying. There was some poor dialogue and acting but that's what happens with b movies. Its a solid fun movie.

This movie is about a group of holiday bus travelers that, when attacked, accidentally run over two bikers. The rest of the bikers rally to try to kill the passengers on the bus. The Coach in this movie should have been put down early by his own people. The biker gang is apparently all mute because none of them utter a word throughout the movie. The movie did a poor job of re-using bike actors after the first version of them is killed off. It was very obvious that they were the same actors. There were so many actions taken in this movie that were just too stupid to allow it to be a good movie. It had 3 good actors and Fred Ward. Even Remo Williams couldn't help this movie. My favorite character spoke no English, but he was the brightest of the bunch. I would suggest waiting until this movie comes to cable to satisfy any curiosity you may have about whether it's worth watching. It's not,

I just saw a screening of Exit Speed, and without giving away any spoilers, all i can say is WOW! it gave me an adrenaline rush... kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time! and I'm not even usually a fan of action movies, i just happened to know someone working on it.

Im not sure if this is going to have a national release, but if it comes out near you, it would be well worth your time!

I suppose there were a few things that could have been done differently, but I don't even remember at this point.

Overall, I thought it was great, considering it had a (considerably) low budget. I look forward to more 'Stokes/Ziel' movies in the future!

Sometimes you just need a film that will let you sit back and enjoy the show. They made a lot of these in the 70s. Action films that really were just there for fun.

This one takes place in Texas. You would think after all the chainsaw massacres, people would stay clear, but they don't. This time they run afoul of some scumbag bikers.

Lea Thompson (Back to the Future I and II) gave a stirring performance. She was one tough cookie.

The bikers may have had the firepower, but there was some McGuyver in this group, especially in Mr. Vargas (Everett Sifuentes). They used whatever they could find to stay alive., and some (Alice Greczyn) found strength they didn't know existed.

A fun movie.

I can't believe I set through the whole thing. I laughed at the movie not with it. Was it supposed to be a comedy? The crazed bikers were so unbelievable. I wish I would have read the reviews before watching. The only redeeming quality was a few of the kill shots. BTW I registered just to warn others about what a waist of time this movie is. I am an avid motorcyclist myself & the skill that this bikers had was great which only made it more unbelievable that they were total crank heads. To attain that level of ability one would have to be very clear. Not screwed up speed freaks with no brain cells left and the music score was atrocious.

Fred Ward is criminally underrated and Lea Thompson is (was?) an A-list actress. What are they doing in this ultra cheapie with a derivative plot, D-list actors, annoying characters, motorcycle-sized plot holes, and dialogue that would make a soft shelled crab roll it's eyes?

I have a theory. Fred and Lea arrived at the studio and as a practical joke the guard directed them to the wrong soundstage. The amateur performers there were so flabbergasted to see actual professionals on set they begged and pleaded until the pair agreed to appear in their movie. Which they did between takes of the films they were meant to be in. Fast forward the three days it took to film this turkey in one take and there you have it.

Three stars for Fred and Lea. As for the rest, there is no way this movie didn't end in ten minutes. As soon as their brother went down the ten armed bikers would have ridden down and killed everyone on the bus. Movie over, get your refund at the box office on your way out. This is a bad film. Three stars.

It's Christmas Eve and a coachful of strangers are run off the road by a gang of mute Nomads, who are dressed up like Toecutter's gang from Mad Max. This is an easy watch, and pretty amusing for a low-budget B-movie. The cast has a number of good actors, including Fred Ward from Tremors and Lea Thompson from Back To The Future as a 'soccer mom' who turns into a sword-wielding avenging angel when her new-found friends are threatened. Some of the acting is atrocious, but I kind of liked that. Would certainly watch again!

I was excited about seeing this movie after noticing that a few actors I really enjoy watching were part of the cast. However, less than 15 minutes into the movie I had already punctured both my eardrums with icepicks and was bleeding from the ears profusely. The score, which had to have been done on a Casio keyboard, was so terrible that it accomplished nothing but sending me on a murderous rage at my local Blockbuster. A good score works in sync with the plot of a movie and helps invoke the emotions that the director is trying to make the audience feel. Well, I felt sick. Shame on you, Doug Westerman. Shame on you.

"Exit Speed" just became available on DVD via Blockbuster, here in the southern New England area. In looking to get a "two-fer," i.e., rent one and get one free, I picked it up. I think they had two copies, total for this very fine and very exciting 'road warrior' kind of movie.

OK, I must confess to having a Jones for Lea Thompson, who gets a top tier billing in this ultra-violent survival adventure. She was truly so very, very good in "Back To The Future". She does well here, too, as 'a soccer Mom'. She goes from scared stiff to resolute in a big hurry.

If I had anything to complain about, it might be that the author(s) put two of the better characters out of action, as in dead, very early in the story. That was, I think, a modest mistake. The palpable sense of fear and loathing which carries this adventure is truly one of the film's most admirable elements. Some of the best action happens at night but in the way it was all photographed, there's really nothing missing.

There is definitely a fine sub-routine in this film, too, revolving around the moral conundrums facing Good Mom ( Lea Thompson's role as an ultra-yuppie returning from a funeral ), and The Not At All Bad Girl, which is Alice Greczyn as a Vegan illustrator and role-playing archer.

Julie Mond sparkles in this film, for sure, as the Really Really Bad Girl -- who is an Army deserter and Iraq veteran -- and Fred Ward does a great job as a typical Fred Ward character, i.e., long-suffering.

As noted this film is short at 88 minutes but it's worth the rental and it is worth the time and yes, I've watched it twice already. Then again, I am thinking of going for a third viewing ( done ! ), 'cause it is pretty much a deeper film than it seems to be, and so unappreciated.

Eight stars out of ten and I am happy to say there ain't no Zombies !!

Truthfully I wasn't expecting much from this movie, and what I really got was a lot more than what I was expecting,, a pretty decent movie.. sure there are parts that are campy and maybe even corny at times.. but there's lot's of action, counting of ammo. gun play chases. killing what's not to like about this picture. really loved Fred Ward cant' get enough of watching him in movies.. then you got Lea Thompson,, where she been last 20 years.. last I seen her was the original Red Dawn. I thought that the idea of total ordinary people getting stuck out in the middle of nowhere against a bunch of lawless attackers in the middle of the desert was a pretty good story line..

Exit Speed has no big stars and not much production value, but it offers an agreeable enough entertainment adventure. It definitely has that low-budget, made-for-TV vibe. I actually think that this could have been a solid big screen movie with an upgraded cast and a bigger budget.

The plot basically pits some everyday bus passengers against a biker gang out in the middle of nowhere. Some familiar character types are here, but there's also some left-field personalities (bow and arrow elven princess!) to keep the movie from being too cliché. It does drag on a bit, but it's extremely satisfying to see all the bikers meet their end at the climax. Watch it, if these kinds of movies are your thing.