Analysis of the SWAT scene from the film Speed (1994)

1. Speed - SWAT Analysis
This scene looks calm and steady. It is a shot of
your regular neighborhood where everything is
normal. The house is the subject of this shot
since it is right in the middle.
When the SWAT SUV/Sedan arrives, we know
something is wrong because they are driving
really fast and screeches to a stop hard, to make
it seem like they’re raiding the place. The
audience knows something is happening to that
house, since it is the centre of the picture.
This scene tracks the first team, as they exit
their vehicles. It’s a long shot providing us with
an entire view of the SWAT Team. It gives the
audience an effect of excitement and anxiety,
because we don’t know what is going to happen
to the suspect of the SWAT Team.
This scenes shows us the second team at work.
They exit the car toward the left side of the
house and immediately go around the back to
form a perimeter around it. The car easily pulls
up and SWAT officers disembark and rush to
the house. The audience feels anxiety and
excitement.
This scene shows that SWAT team moving to
the house. It shows a long shot, establishing the
fact that they are moving in to catch the suspect.
This scene is just before the SWAT team begins
the raid on the house. The officers shown in the
two shot to the left are in the process of entering
the house through the window.
The way he cautiously opens the window shows
us that the SWAT team are trying to avoid
being loud so as to draw attention. It’s a two
shot /scene.

2. After SWAT team has checked around the
house, they decides to enter through the
windows. This scene is also considered as two
shot angle. The shot is inside the house, and
shows the angle from inside the house on how
they intrude in.
This scene shows that SWAT team begins to
check inside the house. This is mid shot. It
depicts a picture of one of the SWAT team,
who is searching the house. His face shows that
he might have found something
interesting/suspicious. It gives us anxiety.
This is long shot. It shows the whole body of an
officer, as he turns to clear the room.
This scene is taken inside the house that only
shows that this house is decorated in vintage
style as we can see the colour of the furniture is
quite old and dull, which might
symbolise/describe the killer as old, dull and
senile. This is a POV of the SWAT officer.
This scene shows us that SWAT teams is
clearing the house and clears this room, and
they begin to investigate what is in it. It is two
shot angle.
This scene shows us that a member of SWAT
team finally found a suspicious thing and he is
about to observe what was happened. This
seems to be like two shot angle but actually it is
close up shot because the camera only focus on
the front officer, who’s the main SWAT officer,
telling us that he might have found something.

3. This scene shows that he has found a red button
which looks extremely suspicious and he looks
a bit curious and wants to find out what is it
This is a extreme close up of the bomb. It shows
the red “beep” which is a common color for a
detonator or a bomb or a motion sensor, which
tells us that the SWAT team in the room is in
serious trouble. Hinting that an explosion will
happen.
In this scene, the main SWAT operator realizes
that the house is rig to blow. His face tells us
that he has come to realize that there is no way
out when his face tenses up. His face shows
desperation/confusion and acceptance of his
death. This is a close up shot of him.
This scene shows that SWAT team is trapped.
They are blown up by the flame. The is long
shot. It shows how the man from earlier, is
wiped out, sealing the fate of the officers inside.
It clearly shows that now the killer has the
upperhand.
This scene shows a police officer desperately
try to escape the flames. The doe on the left of
the screen could symbolize a doe caught in
headlights; a doe caught in headlights will often
freeze and will be rendered helpless, usually
ending with the car running the deer over. The
helplessness of the police force could be related
to that of the doe.
This scene shows the SWAT member being
thrown out of the house due to the strength of
the blast. This longshot gives us a view of the
neighbouring houses, possibly to show us how
something so tragic and huge could happen in
such a normal environment.

4. This explosion scene causes immense
excitement amongst audience members. The
SWAT team has been compromised and killed
in this blast, the officer on the left can do
nothing but watch as the flames consume the
house and his colleagues. It could be an
indication toward the helplessness of the
situation.
This scene shows us the house in blazes. It is
engulfed in flames and continues to burn away,
possibly highlighting the waste of the situation
lives of the men as we are made to watch a
perfectly good house slowly burn away.
It can easily be told from the close up on the
facial reaction of Keeanu Reeves that this was
not the intended or expected result as he has a
very stressed and agonised face as he expected
the suspect to be caught.
This telephone call scene has an interesting
meaning to it. The dummy in the back wearing
the police uniform may have an internal
meaning, indicating that the police have
‘played’ and that the law enforcement are
dummies. The killer’s face expression makes it
seem like he’s mocking Keeanu Reeves.
Keeanu Reeves on the phone with the killer.
This scene utilises a close up to show Keeanu’s
face to show how aggravated he’s grown.
He now debates what he and the team must do.
His face shows hatred for the killer.