Super Express 109

`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.

I had seen this movie way long back in India when I was a Kid and enjoyed it. Now, I live and work in the USA. I would like to purchase this movie either in dvd, vcd or vhs format, but to my luck I am not able to find it's availability. If any one can help me on this I would really appreciate your efforts.

Suresh

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 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!"

I don't believe this Japanese thriller has anything to do with the new Brad Pitt movie (besides the two having almost identical titles). I still don't know whether I'll see 2022's Bullet Train, but its release reminded me to watch 1975's The Bullet Train, and it ended up being a pretty good watch.

I always thought Speed had an original plot, but it takes the basic premise of this movie and puts the action on a bus, rather than a train. Because in The Bullet Train, there's a bomb on a train, and the train will explode if it drops below a certain speed, with the bombers wanting ransom money before they'll agree to disarm the bomb.

It does play out more like a large scale Hollywood disaster movie than a small-scale action-thriller. The scope is actually pretty wide, and I felt like most of the scenes didn't actually take place on the train - a big part of the movie is about finding the masterminds behind the bombing. The train scenes themselves are great, though. All really exciting, and I think it used real trains for the most part (or if there were miniatures used, I couldn't tell).

There are plenty of recognisable Japanese actors all doing solid work, and the film is mostly entertaining throughout, even if I didn't love it. I will say: I was a goose and didn't research properly before watching, so I watched an inferior version that was dubbed and about half an hour shorter than what I realise now is the original version. So for the stuff I didn't like, it might (well, probably would) be better in the original cut, so that's on me for jumping the gun and watching a re-edit like a doofus.