THE STORY – When the Hayabusa 60 Shinkansen bound for Tokyo is threatened with a bomb that will instantly detonate if it slows below 100 km/h and the bomber demands a ransom of ¥100 billion for the lives of everyone aboard, the train’s crew, as well as government authorities, must race against time to find the bomber and defuse the bomb while keeping the train and its passengers safe.
THE CAST – Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Kanata Hosoda, Non, Takumi Saitoh, Machiko Ono, Jun Kaname & Hana Toyoshima
THE TEAM – Shinji Higuchi (Director), Kazuhiro Nakagawa & Norichika Ōba (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 134 Minutes
The thriller is a genre that never seems to tire, even when defined by the pulse-pounding simplicity of a clear goal, a looming threat, and characters teetering on the edge of panic. Of course, Netflix’s “Bullet Train Explosion” has the above, but reading its premise may mistake it for an adrenaline-fueled homage to “Speed,” the 1994 cult classic where Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock race against a deadly speed limit. But that comparison, while tempting, does Shinji Higuchi’s latest film a disservice. This isn’t just “Speed” on rails – though the premise does echo this – it’s actually a modern remake of the 1975 Japanese thriller, “The Bullet Train,” with the gravitas and social undercurrents now supercharged for a new era.
From its energetic opening credits, where quick cuts and a charged-up score introduce characters and flickers of the mayhem to come, “Bullet Train Explosion” grabs you with the urgency of a news bulletin. The film plants you in the thick of what should be a routine journey on the Hayabusa 60, a state-of-the-art E5 Shinkansen (bullet train) bound for Tokyo. Dubbed “the dream super express” when it first debuted in 1964, the bullet train once symbolized Japan’s innovation. But dreams, as the film reminds us, can quickly turn into nightmares.
A faceless voice calls into the railway call center to reveal that there’s a bomb on board the Hayabusa. If the train drops below 100 km/h, it will explode. The caller will explain how to defuse the bomb, but only if they receive 100 billion yen. This bomb threatens the passengers and challenges the competence of government institutions, the values of public safety, and the endurance of the people caught in the middle.
At the heart of the chaos is Takaichi (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi), a veteran conductor who wears the weight of responsibility like a second uniform. Alongside him is Fujii (Kanata Hosoda), a fresh-faced optimist who sees the role of conductor as a noble mission to ensure every passenger reaches their destination safely. It’s a sentiment that morphs from idealism to desperate resolve as the situation spirals. Meanwhile, Matsumoto (Rena Nōnen, known professionally as Non), the young and composed train driver, fights to keep her cool as sweat runs down her face, and speed is her only weapon against death.
Unlike many single-location thrillers, “Bullet Train Explosion” deftly avoids feeling claustrophobic. Higuchi cuts between the train, the railway control center, and the broader governmental response, turning the film into a multi-layered crisis management saga. The control center is a hive of calculated calm – until it’s not. Every contingency plan unravels, and the precision of the operation collapses under pressure. Unlike the original film, the filmmakers for this remake received support from the East Japan Railway company, and it shows through its use of authentic Shinkansen units and being able to shoot at real railway facilities to lend credibility to the scenes.
As the distance to Tokyo decreases and the stakes mount, the film explores not only the logistics of a high-speed emergency but the emotional toll it takes on everyone involved. When the bomb is inevitably revealed to the passengers, panic erupts. People turn on each other as suspicion poisons civility. The camera begins to act as a tool of accusation, focusing on who may be culpable, playing with our perception and the dangerous comfort of assumptions. Why the story points its finger at one person isn’t afforded the right amount of explanation, but it’s not so much about who the bomber is but how quickly we’re willing to choose someone to blame for our own sense of security.
Though the film introduces a broad cast of characters, from teenage students and a celebrity influencer to a disgraced politician, they aren’t given much depth. This isn’t a surprise, as it’s often an issue with most thrillers, but the film focuses more on those steering the train (literally and metaphorically) and the decision-makers scrambling to keep up.
The film tries to connect the current crisis to a similar past tragedy, and it’s here where “Bullet Train Explosion” hits its own kind of derailment. Tying the bomber’s motives to a previous, eerily similar bombing feels like an unnecessary stretch – one that isn’t given the time it needs to develop fully. Rather than deepening the plot, it clutters it, adding noise to an already overloaded climax. The big twist tied to this arrives not with a bang but with disbelief, the kind that makes the audience hard to convince.
Clocking in at over two hours, the film’s momentum does start to waver. While initially riveting and stress-inducing, the endless barrage of near-misses, moral dilemmas, and logistical puzzles begins to fatigue rather than thrill. It’s as if the film, much like the train at its center, can’t figure out how to stop. By the end, when we should be reflecting on the toll of the journey, we’re left feeling more exhausted than moved.
For all its flaws, “Bullet Train Explosion” is undeniably gripping. It’s a commentary on governmental selfishness, the power of ordinary people in extraordinary moments, and the terrifying fragility of systems we assume are unshakable. There’s even an effective nod to the role of social media, used here not for vanity or misinformation but as a tool for national unity in the face of terror.
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. Most, like conductor Takaichi, simply try to hold it together long enough to reach the next station.
