MovieChat Forums > Speed (1994) Discussion > Why was Howard Payne planning to kill th...

Why was Howard Payne planning to kill the people on the elevator after he got the money?


On the bus I understand that he had no time to disarm the bomb, but on the elevator I just don't get that.

reply

The basement.

reply

What do you mean?

reply

Rapid gravitational acceleration followed by abrupt stoppage.

reply

I mean would the elevator gradually fall on its own? Because the emergency brake was holding it.

reply

What indication do we have that he planned on killing the elevator passengers? As far as we know the emergency brake could have held for days, and all he had to do was turn off the bomb. Likewise with the bus, he could have just hung up the phone and disarmed the bomb.

Of course we know that he's a raving lunatic and the bad guy in an action movie, so of course he's going to kill the hostages anyway.

reply

I don't think it was so easy to disarm the bomb by remote.

reply

He armed and denotated it by remote. Why couldn't he disarm it?

reply

You are right on that. Also the reason why he wanted the bomb to explode was because it's something that he created, and he wanted to feel important. I think the people on the bus and on the elevator were collateral damage. I mean at the end of the day he felt that he was wronged. I mean he really felt that this money was owed to him. I wouldn't be happy with a tiny pention and a cheap gold watch either if I lost my thumb while disarming a bomb. He just felt that society treated him like he was nothing. So I could see where he was coming from. I am not saying that he did the right thing (killing innocent people is always wrong), but I could see that he felt he was wronged.

reply

yeah so I dont think he would kill the people after he had forced society to give him the money he was owed

reply

The same reason he planned to kill Annie. The police would be busy investigating the bomb and give him time to get away.

reply