Bullet Train Explosion

A High-Speed, High-Stakes Thriller

Shinji Higuchi, the visual mastermind behind Shin Godzilla, returns with Bullet Train Explosion, a gripping disaster-action spectacle that reimagines the 1975 cult classic The Bullet Train for a new generation.

Takaichi, the stoic senior conductor aboard the Hayabusa No. 60, and Rena Nonen (Non) as a rookie train driver thrust into crisis, the film quickly builds tension when a chilling phone call warns of a bomb on board. The catch? If the train drops below 100 miles per hour (161km/h), it detonates. What follows is a high-octane race against time, with the bullet train turned into a ticking time bomb hurtling toward Tokyo.

While the government refuses to negotiate with the anonymous bomber demanding a 100 billion yen ransom, the fate of the passengers - including a disgraced politician (Machiko Ono), an insufferable tech mogul (Jun Kaname), and a panicked group of high schoolers - falls into the hands of the train crew and the determined JR East control team, led by Takumi Saitoh’s Kasagi.

Higuchi’s signature is all over this film: the polished VFX, the grounded sense of chaos, and his admiration for capable, everyday heroes. As in his previous work, Bullet Train Explosion is as much about human resilience and collaboration as it is about spectacle. The film doesn’t shy away from political jabs either. Its portrayal of indecisive politicians and corporate cowardice feels both timely and biting.

The bombers’ ultimate motives might stretch believability, but the emotional investment in the characters, the kinetic pacing, and Higuchi’s flair for cinematic destruction keep the film on track.

Verdict: Bullet Train Explosion is a turbo-charged tribute to disaster cinema. A suspenseful, stylish, and surprisingly heartfelt. Shinji Higuchi proves once again he knows how to detonate drama, not just bombs.

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An action packed, emotionally invested ride

Japan never really shies from the depiction of things as they are as far as I'm concerned, whether it be the mundane or something as high octane as this. One other thing they never fail to do is bring in a level of emotional depth to the story, even if it is as action packed as this one.

A third thing Japanese movies and dramas always do is lean into the technicalities of things. And though the movie hits us with a ton of technical terms, not understanding any of them is okay. I didn't, but all the audience really needs to know is that the people doing the work know what they're doing and they're doing it well, because even with all the abrupt cuts and quick shots, this movie was always about the people on the train.

What we got was a fast paced and thrilling movie that felt grounded in many ways. The huge reveal that is inevitably present in such titles didn't come as a big surprise to me, and though the motive for the crime felt a little incredulous, it did produce it's intended emotional effect.

I thought the actors did an incredible job that complemented an already solid script, neither party needed to carry the other and for the entire runtime I was at the edge of my seat. I tend to have complaints about certain or sometimes all characters not getting enough screentime to complement their sudden growth, but I don't here.

If you are a fan of action thrillers with heart feel, I highly recommend.

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WONDERFUL! Just SUPERB!! Everyone is a Hero here.

In One Word, WONDERFUL !👌🏻
In Two Words, JUST SUPER !!✨
In Numerals, 9 / 10 (My RATING )

This is One of the few Disaster/Hijacking thrillers that I rated 9/10.

***
Disaster/ Survival/ Hijacking thrillers are always a Mix of Intense Nail-biting Suspense, Edge of the Seat Action, Adrenaline Rush Vibe, Racing against Time, Emotional n thoroughly keeps U Engaged!!

***
Direction, Screenplay, Cinematography, Production, Acting, Locations (the scenic beauty of the country in aerial shots is amazing), CGI / Visuals, Everything about this movie is SUPERB.

Aerial shots of the high speed train dashing on the rails are MESMERIZING!

Though the Plot is the usual Bomb threat n ransom demanding /routine Hijacking in moving Train setting, it's VERY GRIPPING to watch.

Pacing, story telling n story progression are GOOD.
No Moment of boredom throughout the movie.

All the Rescue Plans n the Risks that come with them, the Chaos of the Passengers, the Stress of the Officials (including the Train Conductor n Train Pilot), Political Pressures, the Train working systems n issues especially for those of high speeds, EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFULLY CAPTURED.

Even the Story of the bomber(s) is right to the plot (one is in an unfortunate situation n the other is revenge seeking)
The Twist related to the bomber is Good (the most unexpected one but I guessed it🤭, maybe I watched too many thrillers)

The power of the Internet in modern age, to spread the news in social networks or the fund raising is also captured here.
In the end, the public donating the huge impossible ransom amount is heartwarming.

***
Finally, Everyone who worked hard to Save the Day, is a Hero here !!

LOVED CHARACTERS of
ML (Train Conductor)
He himself remained composed, helped to maintain peace in this stressful high-stakes situation n calmed down not only the chaotic passengers but also his colleagues.
Truly dedicated to save everyone under his care.
Actor Kusanagi Tsuyoshi is handsome n looks like an older version of handsome Keita Machida 💕

Railway Commander (or whatever the designation is)
His Rescue plans are risky but he did everything possible, taking every bold step, running against time.
BTW this actor Saitoh Takumi is handsome

Ono Machiko's politician character.
She is so cool n funny here.
That contrast of her role from that of JDrama "Light of My Lion" is good.

Lady Train Pilot (her dedication is good)

***
Special Mentions:
That YouTuber guy is selfish, using every situation in his favour but funny, he got stuck with the other 8 members

Young actress Hana from JDrama "Minato's laundromat", liked her alot there, here hmm it's sad. She acted well.

***
As mentioned, it's a remake/sequel of the 1975's movie.
Even if U didn't watch the original movie (like me), U'll not miss out anything important.
All the references n visuals of the original, whatever required to this story, are shown here.

***
In the end, after the success of the rescue operation, when ML is looking at everyone, standing all alone, I just wanted to hug him n appreciate him😂
Another hyper excited reaction of mine🤦🏻‍♀️

BTW, my comments n review here in this page are lil hyper as though am promoting this show, so U can understand the excitement created in 2 hours 15 mins (movie run time)

***
NOW, FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS n ENJOY THIS THRILLING TRAIN RIDE! 😏

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Almost blew me away!

This was a tense and fast-paced ride where train conductor Takaichi, the passengers and railway staff must work together to prevent the catastrophe.

The tension truly kicks in once the passengers find out what is happening. The way panic spreads felt way too believable. It also says a lot about how quickly things can turn ugly in a crisis. People start pointing fingers, paranoia sets in and suddenly it's a full-on witch hunt.

The way politics is shown during the crisis is... painfully realistic. Instead of stepping up, it feels like some people in power are more focused on saving face or pushing their own agendas. You really get that sense of decisions being delayed, emotions being brushed off and the situation being treated more like a PR problem than an actual emergency. It's a frustrating reminder of how, in real life too, how politics can sometimes end up milking a situation instead of solving it.

Visually, the production is top-notch considering Netflix backed it. The cinematography with those wide-angle shots of the train and its surroundings is simply stunning. Everything from the train interiors to the city backdrops was shot beautifully. You can tell a lot of effort went into making it visually engaging.

Acting was easily one of the strongest parts. Everyone brought their A-game and I genuinely couldn’t spot a weak link. If anything, the performances made up for where the story felt a bit thin. Especially when the motive behind the bombing felt a bit weak and under-explained. It didn’t ruin the film for me, but it did soften the impact a bit.

Overall, if you are in the mood for a high-stakes thriller with solid tension and top-tier acting, this one is definitely worth checking out!

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Very unexpected plot!

This movie really has an unexpected plot. Unlike other thrillers, everything was very exciting and it didn't feel like the movie was too long or had unnecessary side plots.
Furthermore, the movie managed to despict the true nature of politicians while also showing how hard their decisions must be.
In the end, it was a really hearthwarming story and more than just a regular action movie. However in the end, I still do not understand: why was the ransom so high? As said, inflation adjusted, it is 70x higher than in the 1975 scenario. If there really were no big intentions, why is the ransom so high and not just an understandable amount?

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What a ride

The movie kept my stakes high. The plot, the cinematography, the thrill, the action everything felt very optimized. It felt extremely realistic, which in movies like these, are hard to achieve.

There was no unnecessary drama in between. The emotions felt perfectly right. I love the fact that even though there were main roles in the movie they blended so well with the side characters it never felt like the movie revolved around them. Which again made it extremely realistic. I love how they didn't make only one person become the "hero" of the movie, sacrificing themselves while saving other. They all tried their best, whether it was the crew operators at the train, the officers working in the headquarters, the crime department, rail engineers, even the politicians. All the people who worked in the rescue team did a fabulous job at portraying the Calamity, the hidden stress and the emotional devastation. It was truly mesmerizing as a viewer how they managed to capture everything so to the point.

I loved how they give so much attention to portraying the actual rescue operation instead of unnecessary drama so at the end when a little dramatic scene came up it perfectly mingled with the rest of the events. Over all it was thrill ride for me. If I ever go to Japan and get on a bullet train I might rewatch this movie just for the thirll.

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Gripping and Quietly Intense

I think my most favourite of this is the technicality because it showed how high the stakes are. I mean it was already like that but that aspect of the film made me feel invested and thinking how they will pull this off.

It was two hours long which I thought was too long but it as actually a good length. I really like how they just got into it. My favourite character, alongside the main, has got to be the General Commander - I think he pulled off being calm, focused and highly principled so well. I'm quite surprised he's listed as a supporting role. I think his role made such a big impact on how invested I got. His character was so impressive.

I think the only thing that I didn't feel convinced about was regarding the suspect. I don't know, just the way it was revealed and the motivations I guess made it feel far fetched? Plus the enormity of how it was done and who's done it just didn't feel believable.

Overall, I'm really glad I watched it. I think the main role, Takaichi, really rounded off the feel of the film with his good natured character. He was dependable and in charge which made you trust him and felt like everything's going to be okay even with the seemingly impossible situation.

Plus the scale of the production was amazing. The director/writer/team behind this are so so impressive. I also really liked Chika, the train driver. I think she was quietly holding everything together and wasn't thanked properly by the passengers when she was introduced 🙈

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Prioritize, organize, synchronize & mobilize.

***Minor hints of spoilers***


"Bullet Train Explosion," Its theme reminds me of the movie "Speed." Only it's a train. To be fair, BTE's organization and management of the situation seemed better. I enjoyed the entire effort made by the production to show how well-crafted and dedicated the Japanese officials of all levels of government were. They showed the true meaning of conflict management.

As far as the acting, it was convincing. The discipline and dedication to duty were cool and slightly frustrating. As not all avenues of minimizing conflict were respected. I can imagine the chaos that would ensue. A train with the speed of a Formula One race car with an explosive on board—crazy.
"Bullet Train Explosion" overall was an admirable effort. Production and acting, on point... to a degree. This leads me to why I gave it a 7.5 (which is still above average). As the theme and aggressive execution were good and entertaining, it was mainly just that. Storywise, it could have used more tension. The praise of the conflict resolution was also a weakness. Having some of those fail miserably, or the process of making the audience really feel that it would, was not always there.

The villain was more menacing off-screen, as the actor's portrayal wasn't quite convincing. The character appeared as more of a broken person that needed love, respect, and attention than a person capable of mass destruction and murder.
Not quite a deal breaker; it's still entertaining and worth a watch.

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An effective solid disaster film throwback

An affectionate and well-realised update of Junya Satō's The Bullet Train, Bullet Train Explosion's devotion to delivering relentless edge-of-your-seat thrills ensures it's a blast from the moment it leaves the station. After his masterful reworking of Ultraman 3 years ago, I've been patiently waiting for Shinji Higuchi's next film. While the visual effects, direction, cinematography and camerawork are all top-notch, the carnage feels relatively restrained compared to Higuchi's prior work. However, even then, the film's greatest strength lies in its construction of tension and its commitment to showing how people respond to chaos. Some rise while others fall. Even with Higuchi as the film's conductor, this is still very much a one-track film, where Satō's original cross-cuts the action on board its Shinkansen with Ken Takakura's criminal antics, and here we are solely dedicated to the action on board. Despite its familiarity, there's also a fair dose of originality, although the late-game villain reveal had me howling with unintentional laughter. It's a long journey, full of near misses and assorted beats of suspense; although it abandons the complicating human factors that gave the original its soul, the film works very effectively as both a remake and a legacy sequel alike, even if the first half is far stronger than its latter half. Backed by strong performances and a rousing score by Taisei Iwasaki, Bullet Train Explosion is an effectively solid action disaster throwback, full of collectivism and collaboration.

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Encore une histoire de vengeance... de scénaristes face à l'IA

Attention chef-d’œuvre !

Et vous n’en attendiez pas moins du roi du remake : le réalisateur Higuchi Shinji. Après Shin Godzilla, Shin Ultraman, et l’élevage de monstres, achetés sur eBay, capables de vaincre le COVID-19 (si, si), le réalisateur-poète s’attaque à massacrer une nouvelle licence culte japonaise. Arrivera-t-il à faire pire que les live-action de L’Attaque des Titans…

Cette fois, il transforme un classique du cinéma catastrophe japonais en un véritable nanar à budget exorbitant. D’accord, Shin Godzilla allait plus loin que le simple navet en dénonçant une société sclérosée par la politique — mais Hideaki Anno était aussi à la manœuvre. Dix ans plus tard, dans ce Bullet Train version 2025, il est difficile de refaire le coup du « tous pourris ». Et pourtant… le monde sera à nouveau sauvé par un homme, et le collectif des petites gens prêts à se sacrifier. Eh bien si, il l’a donc fait.

Et ce ne sont pas les seuls clichés des productions japonaises qui vont défiler devant vos yeux à la vitesse d’un Shinkansen Aomori-Tokyo. Dans ce remake du Bullet Train de 1975, la production ose tout, sans aucune honte. Et c’est bien cela qui fait de ce qui aurait dû être un nanar à effets spéciaux un nouveau chef-d’œuvre du « what the fuck ». Comme le disent certaines critiques dithyrambiques, malgré ses 2h15, on ne s’ennuie pas une seconde. Pas du tout pour son action débridée, ses FX maîtrisés, sa pseudo-dénonciation ou son suspense bancal comme j'ai pu lire parfois. Non. Comme dans le chef-d’œuvre dramatique qu’est la série Dai Byōin Senkyō, ce sont les dialogues improbables, les révélations absurdes et le manque total de réalisme à chaque seconde qui font tout le sel de l’expérience.

Lancé à pleine vitesse, sans autre direction artistique que de copier les codes des films catastrophes des années 70 et de faire l’apologie de la Japan Railway à coups de plans boostés à l’IA, le réalisateur (qui semble n’être ici qu’un directeur des effets spéciaux) laisse carte blanche aux acteurs et aux dialoguistes. En roue libre totale, chaque ligne de texte fait mourir de rire :

« Je suis parlementaire, je dois aider les gens. »« Je suis contrôleur, je dois aider les gens. »« Je suis influenceur, je dois aider les gens. »« J’ai écrasé mon hélicoptère sur une école maternelle, je dois aider les gens. »

Tout est à ce niveau. Et le jeu va avec : on a l’impression qu’aucun acteur n’y croit. On est en pleine saison 1 d’Oshi no Ko. Je ne peux même pas citer un personnage tant ils sont tous caricaturaux à l’extrême : politicienne, influenceur, lycéen… tous ont des dialogues et un jeu plus improbables les uns que les autres. Et pourtant, il n’y a pas que des parfaits inconnus.

On retrouve l’inusable Saitō Takumi, capable du meilleur comme du pire. Et vous vous en doutez : dirigé à nouveau par Higuchi Shinji, il atteint ici des sommets de ridicule en responsable de la vie des 400 passagers, qu’il sauvera évidemment grâce à des trouvailles aussi improbables qu’irréalisables dans la vraie vie. Admiratifs devant son « talent », l’ensemble des acteurs semblent suivre son exemple pour mal jouer, avec une palme décernée à Hosoda Kanata, carrément méconnaissable. Je ne l’avais jamais vu aussi faux dans un rôle.

Mais qu’est-ce qu’ils sont drôles, à débiter leurs absurdités ! Et grâce à Netflix, c’est disponible dans toutes les langues. Je vous laisse découvrir les sous-titre qui s'emmêlent les pinceaux, presque aussi drôle que les dialogues originaux. On dépasse le niveau « what the fuck », au point qu’il ne manque qu’une invasion extraterrestre pour expliquer la folie de certains personnages.

Bien sûr, on aurait pu se dire que tant qu’à faire, la réalisation aurait pu aller franchement vers le délire parodique façon Y a-t-il un pilote dans l’avion ?. On perçoit les clins d’œil avec le gyrophare rouges et les vieux téléphones à fil dans cette salle de contrôle d'un autre âge. Mais quand on décroche et qu’on dit « Ted Crochet », on veut une baffe dans la figure d’un acteur, pas des :

« Oui, je vais conduire ce train jusqu’à sa destination, même si je dois mourir pour cela ! »Euh… non, mais allô ? Qui conduit, alors ?

Et encore une fois, certaines critiques ont vraiment pris ce film au premier degré, comme une critique des politiques ou des réseaux sociaux. Pour moi ce ne sont que des références au monde d'aujourd'hui dans un film hollywoodien des années 80

Finalement ?

J’ai passé un excellent moment. Même si les dialogues semblent avoir été écrits par une IA, ils m’ont fait éclater de rire à chaque scène. Moi qui étais prêt à recommander ce film à mon fils conducteur et véritable Otak de trains, en France, après avoir visionné ses premières minutes à la gloire de la JR… j’ai honte maintenant de lui infliger deux heures de ce niveau. Il pourrait même avoir des pensées qui mettraient en danger la vie de ses passagers. Comme une envie pressante qui l’oblige à ralentir sous les 100…

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