Pánico en el tren bala

`Bullet Train' (Orig. Title: Shinkansen Daibakuha) is a gripping thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Made in 1975, `Bullet Train' predates Jan De Bont's similar `Speed' by almost two decades and is the vastly superior drama. The wonderful Ken Takakura portrays the bomber with a grudge, while cult action star Shinichi `Sonny' Chiba portrays Shinkansen (Bullet Train) operator Aoki who must find the explosive device before his train explodes. Utsui Ken (who portrayed the serial hero Super Giant/Star Man) also puts in a great performance as Transit Chief Kuromochi who must not only deal with the demands of the bomber but must also deal with the political and public backlash and hysteria that ensues the crisis. While some of the SFX work does not really look all too convincing, the overall film is a joy to see. Ken Takakura's somber and tragic character of Okita is quite a contrast to Dennis Hopper's wacky and cartoonish villain in `Speed". While the film is not great, it certainly is worth a look. Blink and you could miss the cameo of Shihomi Etsuko as a transit telephone operator.

This movie was special in having an extremely interesting plot and fast paced action. The cast is excellent with then major Japanese star Sony Chiba playing a minor role. The mastermind, played by Ken Takakura, is cool, calculating, and very human as opposed to the plain evil vilains typical in those days. The action is excellent and credible in a time when special effects were not computer-generated. I'm convinced that the plot for the movie "Speed" was lifted from this movie. It's worth seeing. I'm currently looking for a copy on VHS or DVD but to no avail. "Help!"

Now here's a brief little plot description I'm sure will sound familiar to most people! Terrorists plant a bomb somewhere on a crowded public transportation vehicle. The device activates itself once the vehicle reaches a certain speed and will explode if the vehicle lowers its speed beneath this mark. The authorities as well as the driver are aware of the danger, but a ransom needs to be paid before the terrorists gives the exact location of the bomb. Now where have I heard that before? Hey wait a minute, it's that movie "Speed" with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock! Well sure, 99% of the world will be able to guess that, but sadly only a miserable 1% (or even less) know that "Speed" is, in fact, some sort of remake of this modestly produced but hugely exhilarating Japanese 70's disaster flick. Here in this case, the public transportation vehicle is an elite high-speed express train instead of a bus, so there are even more possibilities to hide the explosives. There are two versions of "Bullet Train" available, albeit both of them are quite obscure, but they're a world of difference. The international version is barely 90 minutes long and pretty much cuts all the background and intrigues surrounding the act of terrorism. The Japanese version runs slightly over 150 minutes and is the complete opposite! In this extended version you get to know literally everything about the terrorists, including how they got acquainted and even what they prefer to have for lunch. I'm usually quite allergic to long (2+ hours) movies, but I read that the heavily cut version comes across as incoherent and clumsy, and also that it doesn't feature the social criticism and melodrama. This may very well be true, but the 150 minutes slightly exaggerates with illustrating background stories and dramatic subplots. At numerous times during the film, it even felts like the booby trapped train was merely an unimportant sub plot while the real movie revolved on the life story of main terrorist Tetsuo Okita. Still, it's a compelling and at times adrenalin-rushing adventure with a solid script and terrific performances. Ken Takakura excels as the embittered terrorist and martial arts legend Sonny Chiba is very impressive in the for him very unusual role of ordinary machinist. One thing about "Bullet Train" I will surely NEVER forget for as long as I live is how this movie features the single most worst case of bad luck ever! After he received the ransom, the terrorists reveals that he left a bag in a restaurant. In the bag there's a map with a detailed drawing of where exactly in the train the bomb is located. The authorities rush to the restaurant, but notice upon arrival that the place just burned to the ground due to a short circuit! What are the odds of that happening?

I picked up a six-pack of Sonny Chiba movies and this was one of them. Lucky for me it was the uncut, original Japanese language version!! The Bullet Train is a bit of a more complex drama than the much later "Speed" which was pretty much a straight action movie. There are key differences between the two. "Speed" uses an over-the-top villain type in Dennis Hopper, a man completely evil who we're not expected to sympathize or feel sorry for. "Bullet Train"'s villain is a more complex, serious, darker sort of character, and we come to understand and even sympathize a little with his reasons for ransoming the Bullet Train.

I found it a little long at 2 1/2 hours. But I liked that it was a more serious film than Speed, delving into the ransomer's motives and the consequences of his actions, not just for his victims but for his accomplices, the train company employees, and himself. And 1.5 hours in, I realized I had no idea how it was going to end.

If you enjoy Japanese or Asian cinema in general, this isn't one of the best films, but you will probably enjoy it as I did.

This movie made 20 years before Speed has only 13 reviews while Speed has more than 500 reviews. Of course I am angry cos this is much better than Speed.

The villain in this one is better than Dennis Hopper. The background stories of the terrorists/villains r very well done in this movie compared to Speed.

Note that one has to see the 150 mins version of this movie.

I saw this for the first time recently n that too almost 50 years of its release n still enjoyed it.

Surprisingly Sonny Chiba got a very miniscule role. He doesn't get to make his weird constipated facial expressions in this one nor does he gets to fight anyone.

This movie inspired many movies -Speed, Runaway Train borrowed few elements, The Bollywood offspring The Burning Train borrowed some elements n another Bollywood offspring Tezz directly copied it.

Even Michael Mann's Heat borrowed few elements, the last airport scene n the wife called in to spot the guy.