Keanu Reeves Promotes Safe Driving in ‘Speed’ Spoof on ‘Kimmel’
Keanu Reeves jumped behind the steering wheel of a flashy sports car and put the the pedal not completely to the metal in the thrillingly safe trailer for the faux film, A Reasonable Speed, on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Wednesday.
Recalling Reeves’ beloved Speed films crossed with the Fast and Furious franchise — but produced by the California Highway Patrol — the clip finds the action star and late-night host engaged in a high-stakes, low-velocity chase after a deal goes south. While props should go to Jimmy Kimmel for his asymmetrical haircut and neck tattoo, the host’s blinker game and intersection acumen are equally unimpeachable.
Still, Reeves holds his own, giving a thumbs up to an approving motorcycle cop and yelling at a rogue skateboarder, who zips past his sports car — all, naturally, to the tune of Foghat’s “Slow Ride.” Things get hairy though when Kimmel and Reeves approach a speed bump. Kimmel’s mad enough to take it — at 25 miles per hour — leaving Reeves in the dust, but the hero gets the last laugh when his foe calls to boast and gets T-boned by a bus.
“Never talk and drive,” Reeves says, flashing two winks for good measure.
Besides promoting good driving habits, Reeves was on hand to discuss his new horror thriller film, Knock Knock, which was directed and co-written by Eli Roth. The actor has a number of other projects in the works, including a sequel to John Wick, the over-the-top 2014 revenge flick in which Reeves plays a retired hitman who goes on a rampage after thugs steal his 1969 Mustang and kill the puppy gifted to him by his deceased wife.