69
296
11
3
2
2
3
2
1
1
2
5
Life in the fast lane!
Life for 1970s movie characters was dangerous. The water wasn’t safe (The Poseidon Adventure, Jaws), buildings weren’t safe (The Towering Inferno), and the sky wasn’t safe (Airport). In Japan, the railways became a thing of danger when a down on his luck businessman decided the government and economic society had left too many people behind and planted a bomb on The Bullet Train.
Passengers board Hikari 109 only concerned with their own lives and problems. After the train begins its journey, the railway receives a call stating that a bomb has been planted on the train. If its speed dips to 80km per hour, the bomb will detonate killing the 1500 passengers on board. The RR company, police department and government quickly assemble a task force to identify the bomber and determine the best course of action.
The 1994 American film Speed was based on The Bullet Train. Aside from the speed and ransom elements, the two films diverge significantly. In TBT, the chief bomber, Okita Tetsuo, is the focal point. His schemes and unfortunate background dominated the story. Takakura Ken was more than up to the challenging role even imbuing his character with empathy. While Sonny Chiba is listed as a main, his part as the train operator was fairly small. The Street Fighter was in a constant sweat fighting panic every moment. There was no loose cannon cop who didn’t play by the rules. Though there were plenty of officers trying to do their job and failing spectacularly on several occasions. Utsui Ken as the level headed and compassionate Kuramochi was the star on the side of good. He struggled to find a way to save the passengers and showed why learning how to do story problems in math saves lives. Seventy-year-old Shimura Takashi had a small role as the railroad president. The hysterical, self-centered passengers had me wishing for a good old zombie apocalypse in a mirror image Train from Tokyo instead of Busan. The crew had no idea how to handle desperate salarymen more concerned about their deals than their lives. I suspect in the film’s world they had a post disaster meeting to install locks on the car doors and cabin.
My biggest complaint would be the music which was dreadful even by 1970’s “bow-chicka-bow” style tunes. Also with a large cast, it took quite a bit of time for me to nail down who was in charge of what. The police continually waffled between wanting to surveil, arrest, or kill the suspects which put the passengers’ lives at risk.
At 2 ½ hours, the film ran long though most of the time was put to good use with few scenes dragging down the action. The economic divide drove the bombing team who were looking to kick the government in the side. It was hard to be too sympathetic with Okita as he did threaten innocent, if annoying, people’s lives. Perhaps these passengers who could afford the expensive bullet train tickets appeared complicit with the struggles so many people in Japan were facing. As the world’s first high speed train, it made for a shiny target of revenge. The people in charge callously weighed the passengers’ lives against their reputations, with Kuramochi caught in the middle only caring about the 1500’s safety.
For a 1975 disaster film, The Bullet Train acquitted itself well. The ending was a small emotional letdown, but also what made it distinctly Japanese. The primary antagonist and protagonist weren’t in a life-or-death guns drawn brawl, but rather in an existential and ethical battle that held people’s lives in the balance.
8 August 2025
7.75 rounded up to an 8.0
Passengers board Hikari 109 only concerned with their own lives and problems. After the train begins its journey, the railway receives a call stating that a bomb has been planted on the train. If its speed dips to 80km per hour, the bomb will detonate killing the 1500 passengers on board. The RR company, police department and government quickly assemble a task force to identify the bomber and determine the best course of action.
The 1994 American film Speed was based on The Bullet Train. Aside from the speed and ransom elements, the two films diverge significantly. In TBT, the chief bomber, Okita Tetsuo, is the focal point. His schemes and unfortunate background dominated the story. Takakura Ken was more than up to the challenging role even imbuing his character with empathy. While Sonny Chiba is listed as a main, his part as the train operator was fairly small. The Street Fighter was in a constant sweat fighting panic every moment. There was no loose cannon cop who didn’t play by the rules. Though there were plenty of officers trying to do their job and failing spectacularly on several occasions. Utsui Ken as the level headed and compassionate Kuramochi was the star on the side of good. He struggled to find a way to save the passengers and showed why learning how to do story problems in math saves lives. Seventy-year-old Shimura Takashi had a small role as the railroad president. The hysterical, self-centered passengers had me wishing for a good old zombie apocalypse in a mirror image Train from Tokyo instead of Busan. The crew had no idea how to handle desperate salarymen more concerned about their deals than their lives. I suspect in the film’s world they had a post disaster meeting to install locks on the car doors and cabin.
My biggest complaint would be the music which was dreadful even by 1970’s “bow-chicka-bow” style tunes. Also with a large cast, it took quite a bit of time for me to nail down who was in charge of what. The police continually waffled between wanting to surveil, arrest, or kill the suspects which put the passengers’ lives at risk.
At 2 ½ hours, the film ran long though most of the time was put to good use with few scenes dragging down the action. The economic divide drove the bombing team who were looking to kick the government in the side. It was hard to be too sympathetic with Okita as he did threaten innocent, if annoying, people’s lives. Perhaps these passengers who could afford the expensive bullet train tickets appeared complicit with the struggles so many people in Japan were facing. As the world’s first high speed train, it made for a shiny target of revenge. The people in charge callously weighed the passengers’ lives against their reputations, with Kuramochi caught in the middle only caring about the 1500’s safety.
For a 1975 disaster film, The Bullet Train acquitted itself well. The ending was a small emotional letdown, but also what made it distinctly Japanese. The primary antagonist and protagonist weren’t in a life-or-death guns drawn brawl, but rather in an existential and ethical battle that held people’s lives in the balance.
8 August 2025
7.75 rounded up to an 8.0
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