Speed / Die Hard / Independence Day / Transporter / Behind Enemy Lines 2004 DVD

Five-disc pack of action-packed entertainment. ‘Speed’ (1994) stars Keanu Reeves as Jack Traven, an LAPD cop on SWAT detail with a fearless nature and a keen understanding of the criminal mind – but also a streak of recklessness. Together with partner Harry (Jeff Daniels), he rescues a dozen hostages from a booby-trapped elevator rigged by a psychotic ex-cop (Dennis Hopper). With his plans foiled by Jack, the bomber makes alternative arrangements – rigging a city bus to explode if the speedometer drops below 50 mph. It’s then up to Jack to save the passengers, including feisty Annie (Sandra Bullock), the passenger who is forced to take the driving wheel after the driver is shot. In ‘Die Hard’ (1988), Bruce Willis stars as New York cop John McClane, who is paying his estranged wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) a Christmas Eve visit in Los Angeles, where she works. They are attending a party at Holly’s high-rise office block when terrorists, led by the suave Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) break in, taking everyone hostage. McClane manages to evade capture, however, and sets out to rescue his wife and the other prisoners. It is not long before he is running barefoot over shattered glass (ouch!) in a sweaty vest, and muttering ‘Yippy kay aye’ as he dispatches the baddies with bullets and a certain earthy wit. ‘Independence Day’ (1996), one of the biggest box office smashes of all time, stars Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum in an update of the traditional B-movie format. When massive spaceships appear, hovering above planet Earth, the world stands in awe and wonder. This soon turns to terror as the aliens launch an all-out attack, devastating the planet. The survivors, led by American President Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman), decide to fight back. In ‘The Transporter’ (2002), Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is the best at what he does: transporting dangerous or illegal goods with no questions asked. But his latest shipment, a beautiful young woman kidnapped by international slave traders, brings deadly complications to his delivery plans… ‘Behind Enemy Lines’ (2001) is a Hollywood war drama inspired by the story of Scott O’Grady, the US fighter pilot who was shot down over Bosnia in 1995 and managed to find his way back to base without being captured. After photographing some Bosnian Serb troops hidden in a forest, Lieutenant Chris Burnett (Owen Wilson) and his co-pilot Stackhouse (Gabriel Macht) are shot down by an anti-aircraft missile. Stackhouse breaks his leg in the crash, and Burnett goes off to get help, but the Serbs soon locate Stackhouse and execute him. Burnett now finds himself alone in hostile country and sets out on the long and dangerous journey back to safety. Meanwhile, his commanding officer (Gene Hackman), against all army and NATO rules, sets out on a mission to locate and rescue Burnett.