Bullet Train Explosion Review: Shinji Higuchi’s Modern Remake Delivers a Fairly Gripping Bomb-on-the-Train Thriller

Bullet Train Explosion is as straightforward as the title sounds. A remake of 1975’s The Bullet Train, director Shinji Higuchi of Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman begins with the daily routine of the bullet train — better known as “Shinkansen” — operation, zeroing in on the Hayabusa No. 60 from JR East bound for Tokyo. The crew onboard the train includes the seasoned conductor Takaichi (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) and his rookie Fujii (Kanata Hosoda), along with the driver Matsumoto (Non). We learn that the particular bullet train will make a few stops before reaching the end at Tokyo Station.

With all the passengers onboard, everything seems normal until the call centre from the HQ of the railway company in Tokyo receives an anonymous call. A stern warning that “There’s a bomb on the Hayabusa No 60 going to Tokyo [and] the bomb will go off if the train’s speed drops below 100 km per hour.” If the threat sounds familiar, that’s because Speed has done it with the bomb-on-the-bus concept, where the driver has to maintain a certain speed and cannot drop below 50 miles (80 km) per hour, or it will explode. Interestingly, this concept was done earlier in the 1975 original starring Ken Takakura and Sonny Chiba, which inspired Jan De Bont’s 1994 summer movie blockbuster.

After blowing off a freight train to prove the caller’s point that this isn’t a prank, the movie systematically addresses a series of SOP when such an emergency occurs. We see how the control centre swiftly takes action, led by Kasagi (a no-nonsense Takumi Saitoh), the commander who oversees the train operation.

He calls Takaichi to inform him about the bomb planted on the train and doesn’t want him to cause panic among the passengers. Since the train can’t risk making a stop, it has to keep moving until further notice. Soon, it doesn’t take long before the caller calls again and demands a ransom of 100 billion yen and once paid, they will be informed how to deactivate the bomb.

Higuchi doesn’t just focus on the onboard tension within the bullet train, but also encompasses the pressure-cooker situation in the control centre. The latter is especially true with the red-tape conflict between the management in the control centre and the arrival of a special advisor to the prime minister, insisting the government will not negotiate with terrorists. The back-and-forth moments between the train and the control centre are deftly handled.

A movie like this at least has a protagonist who will stand out the most. It could be a hero or antihero stepping up to rectify the situation, but in Bullet Train Explosion, there are no heroes since everyone has their own responsibilities. I enjoy the first half’s promising buildup, and to keep this remake up to date, the movie slipped in the importance of social media. And in this case, a live streaming asking for the public’s help after the government’s reluctance to fulfil the bomber’s ransom.

Halfway through the movie, Higuchi finally ramps up the stakes with the elaborate rescue attempt to uncouple one of the train cars before sending in a rescue train for the passengers to cross over using a makeshift footbridge. So far, so good and not to mention the eventual reveal of the person responsible for planting the bomb in the first place. Higuchi also threw in a couple of red herrings, making us wonder who the mysterious bomber is and, more importantly, the motivation.

But once all the cards are on the table, the subsequent true motivation behind the bomb threat on the train is somewhat far-fetched and frankly, requires a suspension of disbelief. The movie is unfortunately clocking in at a hefty 134 minutes, and not surprisingly, the cracks start to show with the pacing becoming sluggish and overstaying its welcome.

If only Bullet Train Explosion is trimmed down to a more manageable two hours or below, it will do the movie plenty of favour. The special effects are adequate, while the overall cast is competently acted. Far from a great, edge-of-your-seat thriller that I would expect based on the premise, Shinji Higuchi’s remake remains a fairly gripping ride.

Bullet Train Explosion is currently streaming on Netflix.