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India Today
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Bullet Train Explosion review: Spiritual sequel that combines heart and heat
Strangers board a train—different faces, different backgrounds, different priorities. For a brief moment in time, they are united by a shared goal: to reach their destination. But what happens when that journey is hijacked—literally—and every second becomes a fight for survival? Who rises? Who leads? Who becomes a hero?At first glance, this might sound like the premise of a typical hostage thriller. You may even recall 1975's The Bullet Train, the Japanese classic that inspired India's The Burning Train featuring Dharmendra, Jitendra and Vinod Khanna among others. But Bullet Train Explosion, now streaming on Netflix, is no mere remake. Directed by Shinji Higuchi (Shin Godzilla), this is a spiritual successor that reimagines the genre with restraint, humanity, and tension as sharp as a the trailer of Bullet Train Explosion here: Rather than focusing solely on the perpetrator's motive—as the original did, steeped in socio-economic despair—this iteration shifts the lens to those on board. It's a powerful, pulse-pounding tribute to Japan's everyday heroes: the railway technicians, engineers, and staff who bear the enormous responsibility of passenger safety without ever seeking the premise remains simple yet suffocating: the Hayabusa No. 60 Shinkansen has been rigged with a bomb that will detonate if its speed drops below 100 km/h. There are no martial arts showdowns la Kill, and very little action in the conventional sense. Yet the film grips you tightly, driven by the claustrophobic intensity inside the train and the relentless ticking of camera mimics the rhythm of the train itself—restless, urgent, and always moving. Long takes within tight carriages and sweeping shots of serene countryside create a haunting juxtaposition: the chaos within versus the calmness production design, executed in collaboration with the East Japan Railway Company, deserves special mention. It grounds the film in reality without ever veering into documentary territory, achieving that elusive blend of authenticity and cinematic the film's emotional core is Tsuyoshi Kusanagi as Kazuya Takaichi, a veteran Shinkansen official whose quiet dedication anchors the entire narrative. There's no bravado in his portrayal—just steadfast professionalism, silent resolve, and a deeply felt sense of duty. When disaster looms, he doesn't panic. He calculates. He leads. He cares. Kusanagi's performance is wonderfully restrained and profoundly human—every glance and exhale calibrated to communicate urgency without Toyoshima stands out as the troubled teenager Yuzuki Onodera, whose character serves as a thematic bridge to the original Bullet Train. Her arc adds emotional depth without derailing the narrative's screenplay, while occasionally meandering, quickly regains its rhythm and never loses the sense of impending doom. There's no need for bombastic monologues or overdone sentimentality—the film's emotional power comes from its subtlety. The stakes are crystal clear, and the audience feels them what creates the bumps in the smooth ride is the VFX, that needed to be better for a seamless look. It looks like animation on budget, and to be fair, it looked Train Explosion isn't just a high-speed thriller—it's a film about integrity, duty, and the resilience of ordinary people under extraordinary pressure. The tension is meticulous, the emotions are genuine, and the story honours the unsung guardians of public this one not just for the thrill, but for the quiet courage it celebrates.3.5 out of 5 stars.
Japan Times
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
'Bullet Train Explosion': High-speed disaster movie doesn't get the pulse racing
In an age of perpetual crisis, disaster movies have started to feel like a form of escapism. Sure, they depict things going horribly wrong, but they also offer hope that people might manage to overcome adversity. There's barely a moment during Shinji Higuchi's 'Bullet Train Explosion' when you'll have reason to doubt that engineering and teamwork will ultimately save the day. Netflix's most lavish Japanese movie to date is fast and frictionless entertainment with a reassuring message that come what may, we're all in safe hands. It's a reboot of Junya Sato's 'The Bullet Train' (1975), a classic Japanese disaster movie that sought to emulate the success of John Guillermin's 'The Towering Inferno' the previous year. As in the original, a bullet train is held to ransom with a bomb that's wired to blow if the speed drops below a certain amount — though this time it's a Hayabusa shinkansen hurtling from Shin-Aomori toward Tokyo, and the mandatory velocity has been raised to 100 kph. While the passengers freak out or take matters into their own hands, the train's conductor, Kazuya Takaichi (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi), and his colleagues work with remarkable efficiency to devise a series of rescue efforts. Takumi Saitoh, playing the commanding officer managing the crisis, gets to deliver lines like: 'What good is government if it abandons lives in peril!' It's that kind of film. The script is by Kazuhiro Nakagawa and Norichika Oba, both of whom worked as assistant directors with Higuchi and Hideaki Anno on the more caustic 'Shin Godzilla' (2016). They focus on the mechanics of the story — including how to link it with the events of the original movie — while wasting little time on characterization. Machiko Ono and Jun Kaname manage to have some fun as a scandal-tainted politician and a YouTube celebrity trapped onboard the train who both seek to capitalize on the crisis. Kusanagi goes through the whole thing with the air of a religious martyr on his way to the crucifix. It's a shame that the actor is probably too old to play Jesus now: He'd be a great fit. Whereas 1975 audiences could enjoy the incongruity of wild-man action star Shinichi 'Sonny' Chiba playing the train's driver, this time it's the single-named Non, Japanese cinema's ditziest actress. I'm not sure which prospect is scarier. Along with Takashi Yamazaki, Higuchi has a reputation for delivering Hollywood-style bombast on a modest budget. He doesn't share Yamazaki's Spielbergian sensibilities, although this cuts both ways. 'Bullet Train Explosion' is less sentimental than the latter's 'Godzilla Minus One' (2023); it's also less exciting. Unlike the 1975 original, the film was made with the full cooperation of the operator, East Japan Railway Company, and its marketing department. Perhaps the wild implausibility of the plot defused any worries they had about the movie inspiring copycats, which was a legitimate concern back in the 1970s. As with Hollywood productions that enlist the help of the U.S. military, you have to wonder what compromises the tie-up entailed. 'Bullet Train Explosion' eventually delivers on the promise of its title, though not before multiple sequences that could have been taken straight from a promo video. While the visual effects are top-notch, the carnage feels restrained compared to Higuchi's prior work, raising the suspicion that JR East only let him use the real-life Hayabusa on the condition that he not have too much fun destroying it.
The Independent
13-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
British firm unveils designs for Japanese ultra-fast earthquake-proof trains
A new 'earthquake resistant', 200mph train set to take to the tracks in Japan was designed by a British firm in a bullet train first. The high-speed E10 Shinkansen train is set to enter service in 2030, replacing existing trains E2 and E5 on the Tohoku route. Studio Tangerine, a design consultancy company based in London, is the first-ever foreign firm to collaborate on the creation of a Japanese bullet train. East Japan Railway Company (JR East), a major passenger railway company in Japan, has unveiled sleek designs for the E10 train with sophisticated interiors across passenger classes. The E10 model will operate on the Tohoku route, which links Tokyo to Aomori in northern Japan in just over three hours. According to its British designer, the train's mid-green colour palette was intended to reflect the 'lush mountain forests and coastlines along the route', with shapes inspired by 'the silhouette of Sakura flowers'. It added that Tangerine's design philosophy for the E10 focused on hospitality inspired by Japanese aesthetic traditions and craftsmanship. Matt Round, chief creative officer at Tangerine, said: 'The E10 Shinkansen represents a milestone in UK-Japan collaboration within the rail sector, setting new benchmarks for hospitality-focused design and sustainable travel. 'With its blend of Japanese spirit, innovation, and user-centric design, the E10 Shinkansen is poised to redefine high-speed rail travel for decades to come.' In December, a new direct high-speed train launched, connecting two of Europe 's biggest cities. Germany and France launched the train between Berlin and Paris, a connection hailed as a symbol of a close friendship between the two countries. The move was sold as a sign of Europe's potential to attract more travellers to the rails. At about eight hours, the once-a-day service with German operator Deutsche Bahn 's ICE trains offers an increase in convenience rather than any major time saving compared with other indirect connections.
