Speed (1994)

One of the most entertaining all-time classic action film.  Speed was also the film that resulted in Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock rekindling their on-screen chemistry in The Lake House (2005) almost a decade later.

The city was terrorised by a retired police officer, Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper), who specialises in explosives.  After being injured on-the-job, he was forced into retirement and decides to get paid what he deserves.  After years of planning, he held an elevator in an office building full of passengers for ransom.  After his plan was foiled by Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves), a LAPD officer, he sets his next plan in motion, playing a "game" with Jack right in the middle of it.

A bus is rigged with explosives that gets activated once the bus hits above 50 miles an hour and goes off when the speed falls below it.  It is being closely monitored by the bomber and no one is allowed to get off.  And so the story goes, Jack, the all-action cop, sets off to defuse the situation, trying to gain the upper hand to get the bomber apprehended.

I believe first-timers will be kept at the edge of the seat throughout the film (I've watched this film for more than 10 times and still find it enjoyable though less exciting of course, I could almost quote the characters' lines =.=).  There were definitely flaws in logic for certain parts of the film but as mentioned right from the start, it is a classic action film worth watching.  Enjoy!

The Rock (1996)

A group of renegade marines under the command of Brigadier General Francis X. Hummel (Ed Harris) took over Alcatraz with 81 hostages and threatened to strike San Francisco Bay with biological weapons, demanding a ransom to be paid out to soldiers under his charge who sacrificed their lives in some of the covert operations but were never recognised for their efforts with a proper military burial and whose family benefits were never paid out.

In an attempt to neutralise this threat, FBI chemical weapons specialist Dr. Stanley Goodspeed (Nicholas Cage) was called in to help.  In order to infiltrate Alcatraz, the FBI was also forced to rope in a former British intelligence, John Patrick Mason (Sean Connery), who was previously incarcerated on Alcatraz and the only person to have ever escaped from the prison successfully.  He had been held in prison without trial for almost 30 years due to the intel he has gathered about some of the major historical events that have occured in the US.

With a group of Navy Seals, these two men were sent to Alcatraz and with much at stake and the possibility of Mason abandoning the mission, this was a simple, no-frills action-packed film that was thoroughly enjoyable.  Do watch it! =)

The Peacemaker (1997)

For an action-packed movie, TAKE THE SHOT! Look no further than The Peacemaker, starring George Clooney and Nicole Kidman.  Special Forces Intelligence Officer Lt. Col. Thomas Devoe (George Clooney) was tasked to assist anti-smuggling official Dr. Julia Kelly, a civilian, in investigating a train accident in Russia involving the transportation of nuclear warheads

What was initially thought of as a accidental detonation of the nuclear warhead due to the crash of the train was quickly spotted by Dr. Kelly, who believed the warheads were intentionally set off based on evidence, as being an act of terrorism.  This thinking was again being brought into question by Lt. Col. Devoe, who suspected it as a cover-up of a hijack of the nuclear warheads, and the stakes were raised tremendously.

Throughout the movie, Dr. Kelly's ability to understand the mentality of the terrorist and her expertise in bombs and Officer Devoe's quick-thinking and on-the-field experience, came in handy at different points in time that allowed them to successfully track down the hijacked warhead.  What remained uncertain until the end was the perpetrator and his intentions.  Not a bad show to watch with some twists in the story along the way, the mystery and excitement building up to a climax at the end. 3/5!