Jake Speed (Wayne Crawford) is the lead character in some of the biggest page-turners of the 1940s. A chiseled, heroic action figure, Speed saves lives on paper, but when a young girl is kidnapped and her sister (Karen Kopins) begs the real-life Speed for help, he must find a way to be as gallant as the book hero whose creation he's inspired. Accompanied by the victim's sibling, Speed flies to Africa to see if he's up to the task.
Acting
John Hurt clearly needed a new boat, bless him
Practical Effects
Jungle sets that look like someone's aunt's patio
Director
Andrew Lane
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Andrew Lane never directed another feature; this was his spectacular one-and-done.
The film satirizes pulp serials while accidentally becoming one—intentional irony or delicious failure? You decide.
US
