Shinji Higuchi’s legacy sequel Bullet Train Explosion should have no problem satisfying old fans and gaining new ones.
Most people hearing the premise of Jun’ya Satô 1975 action thriller The Bullet Train for the first time respond with something along the lines of, “Oh, so it’s like Speed on a train.” Shinji Higuchi’s spiritual successor Bullet Train Explosion, now on Netflix a full fifty years later, is likely to face a similar reaction. Though now it’s without the benefit of having hit theaters years before Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves.
Bullet Train Explosion opens on Kazuya Takaichi (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi), the lead manager of Hayabusa 60, a 320-kilometer-per-hour bullet train. Suddenly, mysterious assailants levy a bomb threat against the train and blow up another locomotive to prove the threat’s legitimacy. Now Takaichi must keep the train from going below 100-kilometers-per-hour or risk detonation. The train’s passengers, including a politician navigating a sex scandal (Machiko Ono), a rich influencer (Jun Kaname), a disgraced helicopter pilot (Satoru Matsuo), and a schoolgirl (Hana Toyoshima) whose father played a crucial role in preventing a similar 1975 train bombing, start unraveling under the tension. Some are even seeing potential gain in their impending doom. Police desperately attempt to track down the source of the threat before Hayabusa 60 reaches the end of the line, but the real terror is closer than anyone expects.
A solid cast balances comedy and drama.
Director Higuchi is primarily known for his work on the Shin Japan Heroes Universe, having co-directed (with Hideaki Anno) Shin Godzilla and directed Shin Ultraman. Some themes from those films are present here, especially Shin Godzilla‘s commentary on bureaucracy. But it’s all done in a much more optimistic light. Despite the dark subject matter, Bullet Train Explosion is a largely optimistic film. Human collaboration is celebrated and nihilism is very explicitly rejected. It’s incredibly effective in its approach, thanks in large part to the script by Kazuhiro Nakagawa and Norichika Ōba. The film has no shortage of action spectacle but places it strategically, allowing for in-depth character moments that pack more of a punch than the actual explosions.
The cast is excellent, especially Kusanagi and Toyoshima. Even smaller roles shine, which is a testament to Higuchi’s directing. The eventual reveal of the villain is accompanied by some truly impressive malice and scenery chewing. The ensemble does feel a bit overstuffed at times (does any film really need multiple influencer characters?), but that’s largely resolved by the time the tension hits its peak. And thankfully, the movie knows how to balance its more serious moments with some more lighthearted action silliness.
The bottom line.
The plot this film is largely accessible to people who haven’t seen The Bullet Train but it does require viewers to at least know that the first film exists. Unfortunately, Netflix’s marketing for Bullet Train Explosion has been terrible. There’s been minimal promotion of the film in Asia and the Philippines and even less in other territories, meaning most people don’t know the film exists and even less know it’s part of a larger legacy.
Which is a shame! Because Bullet Train Explosion is a delightfully diverting action film, and a fresh opportunity to introduce audiences to the even better film that preceded it. Furthermore, it’s another feather in the cap of Higuchi, who is demonstrating an incredible talent for breathing fresh and exciting new life into existing franchises. I can’t wait to see to see what he does next.
Bullet Train Explosion is now streaming on Netflix. Watch the trailer here.
Images courtesy of Netflix. Read more articles by Brogan Luke Bouwhuis here.
REVIEW RATING
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Bullet Train Explosion - 8/10
8/10
Brogan is a Salt Lake City-based writer and film festival programmer who has watched more Scooby-Doo than the majority of the human population. You can find him on social media at @roboteatsdino or at roboteatsdinosaur.com
