Bullet Train Explosion Hits Netflix On April 23

Summary

Explosive remake of classic 1975 disaster film on Japanese bullet train premieres on Netflix
Film maintains original's premise but showcases real trains and survivor-centric approach
Signals Japan's reach beyond anime market, offers non-anime content for global audience

Action thrillers set in or on trains have had audiences glued to the screen since the 1970s, and they could be considered something of a sub-sub-genre. Hollywood has Snowpiercer, Murder on the Orient Express, Mission: Impossible —Dead Reckoning Part One, and the Denzel Washington duo of Unstoppable and The Taking of Pelham. Korean cinema has Train to Busan and the 2020 sequel, Peninsula. And Japan? Junya Satō’s 1975 disaster classic, The Bullet Train (not to be confused with the similarly-named 2022 film starring Brad Pitt and Aaron Taylor-Johnson).

Now, nearly 50 years later, Japanese audiences and the world can experience that vision afresh through the lens of Shinji Higuchi, an animator by trade known for Shin Godzilla, in Bullet Train Explosion. It’s a remake that has got tongues wagging in both Japan and beyond. The movie premieres on Netflix on April 23, in celebration of the platform’s decennial anniversary in Japan. It will also be available on Amazon Prime Video.

What Is Bullet Train Explosion About?

Tension, Trauma, and Logistical Nightmare

As a remake, Bullet Train Explosion doesn’t veer far from its predecessor’s premise. A passenger-laden Shinkansen (bullet train) rigged with explosives must not have its speed drop below the 100 km/h (62 mph) threshold, otherwise the bombs go off and kill both passengers and whichever district the wreck lands. To save the train, a ransom of ¥100 billion—a sum not so timely to raise—must be paid to the bombers. Don’t be deceived into thinking the criminal similarity to Speed (1994), where Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock race to save a bomb-laden bus, means the Hollywood film is the true progenitor of the “bomb-on-a-vehicle” thriller. In truth, it’s the opposite: Speed was inspired by Satō’s classic.

As the train in Bullet Train Explosion literally races to save itself and its human cargo, prepare for cars detaching at breakneck speed and daring track switches that narrowly avoid catastrophic collisions with incoming trains. It is bound to be one of the most talked-about movies on Netflix when it drops.

How Does Bullet Train Explosion Differ From The Bullet Train?

Real Trains and a Human Focus

For one, Bullet Train Explosion was shot practically on actual Japanese Shinkansen lines, a privilege that the national railway (now JR East Railways) didn’t grant the 1975 movie due to security reasons. Such was the film’s ambitious production that two full-scale bullet train cars were built, along with a detailed 1/6 scale model for explosive scenes. Shinichi Takahashi, director of live-action content for Netflix Japan, says that the crew rented "an entire bullet train and filmed it in motion seven times, travelling back and forth from Tokyo to Aomori" intending to make the audience "feel the authenticity and realism of the bullet train.”

Beyond the technical upgrades, Bullet Train Explosion takes a more survivor-centric approach than the original. While the latter focuses on the police and the bombers—relegating the passengers, train personnel, and first responders—the Netflix iteration forces characters to make gut-wrenching moral decisions in real time. Moreover, since it’s set in these times, passenger behavior in the crisis in Bullet Train Explosion couldn’t be more apt: outrage towards the crew and fundraising for the ransom to boost social media profiles. Standout characters include the calm and collected train conductor Kazuya Takaichi, high school student Yuzuki, YouTube celebrity Hana Toyoshima, and government representative Kagami.

Bullet Train Explosion Betrays Japan’s Ambition Beyond Anime

Japanese non-Anime titles have had varying degrees of success overseas. Manga adaptation Demon City recently ranked in Netflix’s global top 10 for four straight weeks. Bullet Train Explosion is the nation stretching an arm to show mainstream American and global audiences that it can offer more than anime, which can rival its South Korean neighbors.

What Else Is Coming to Netflix This Week?

Bullet Train Explosion fans won’t be the only ones eating good this week. On April 25, Havoc, directed by Raid director Gareth Evans and starring Tom Hardy as able detective Walker alongside Forest Whitaker and Timothy Olyphant, premieres on Netflix after several delays. Set in a crime and corruption-infested city, the story kicks into motion when Walker reviews security footage of a brutal shootout and recognizes someone unexpected.

On April 24, Joe Goldberg would return to New York City for the fifth and final time in Season 5 of the psychological thriller, You. The bookstore manager-turned-English professor-turned-stalker-turned-father-turned-serial killer has tried to become a new man time and time again. Fans can be sure his past still sticks with him in Season 5.

Sports docuseries, Carlos Alcaraz: My Way debuts on April 23 and will give tennis fans an all-access pass to the 2024 season of Spanish tennis sensation and World No.2, Carlos Alcaraz.

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