Bullet Train Explosion: A solid action thriller sequel.

 

I've written how I feel about reboots and sequels made years after the original work was created in other blog posts. They're very much a mixed bag with a alight lean towards being mostly bad or terrible. I think that whoever makes these reboots and sequels has to have a love for the source material in mind. A reverence for the original work would ensure that the project is a labour of love and passion, not just a cash grab or worse using an established, known IP. 2025's action thriller, Bullet Train Explosion was thankfully helmed by talented director Shinji Higuchi. Higuchi, known for Shin Gojira and Shin Ultraman, had been a big fan of the original movie released a whole 50 years prior to his sequel. The question was could he direct a sequel that could honour the original classic whilst also bringing it into the 2020s without making a mess of it. The answer is yes. Yes he could. 

The East Japan Railway Headquarters building receives a disturbing phone call. The distorted voice of the caller reveals that they have planted a bomb on shinkansen, Hayabusa number 60 that is bound for Tokyo. The caller expresses that the bomb will go off should the shinkansen's speed fall below 100 kilometres. Proving that it's not a hoax nor a prank call, the caller detonates a bomb on a nearby freight train. Another call is made after Hayabusa number 60 passes Ichinose station. This time the bomb-planter demands 100 billion yen from the people of Japan. The Japanese government of course, refuses to negotiate with terrorists and as such, it is up to the crew and passengers of the shinkansen to find a way out of this incredibly difficult situation. 

Higuchi himself designed the title sequence. It's a cool-looking fast-paced affair which highlights the dramatic action throughout the movie without giving too much away. I particularly like the old-school font used for the movie's title itself, a homage to the original that was nice. It's kind of deceptive in the sense that what immediately follows is an extremely slow first 30 minutes were not a lot happens. A majority of the twists and turns of the plot occurs after the first 30 minutes and ramps up towards the last half. 

Higuchi's direction is rather slick and in tandem with a great cinematographer duo of Keizo Suzuki and Yusuke Ichitsubo, the movie was crafted with a rather dynamic, fluid visual flow. There is plenty of camera movement throughout each scene whether within the tight confines of the shinkansen cars or in the tension-filled call centre were the railway team hastily calculate plans to rescue everyone. There are two shots in particular that I loved throughout the movie. The first shot being a slow pan-out from the onlooking central characters to the reveal of the extent of the damage caused by a particularly thrilling event. The second shot that I adored came later and it's rather simple but effective. It's the great usage of a headcam towards the very end. Why is this a favourite of mine? Because it's a great way to build and sustain a bit of tension, especially with the cuts to the concerned call centre team. 

As mentioned previously, there was a big increase in tension after the half-hour mark. That can be attributed to both what takes place on-screen as well as the soundtrack. It's used to pretty good effect, coming in at precisely the right moments to ensure maximum potential. There's also a sort of heroic accompaniment to the actions of the crew, which feels almost as if the movie is an advertisement or a fluff piece for the Japanese Railway. 

Tension is not just built with the overarching plot of the bomb threat. The shinkansen also produces the very human emotional outbursts and drama. There's plenty of interpersonal drama. For instance, you have the main conductor and central character, Kazuya Takaichi having to lead and encourage his junior Keiji Fujii through the crisis as the latter threatens to break under all of the pressure. Takaichi is the calming presence throughout and it's largely thanks to the screen presence and tremendous performance by Tsuyoshi Kusanagi. You also have the social media influencer, Mitsuru Todoroki who butts heads with the politician embroiled in a mama-katsu scandal, Yuko Kagami. They both fight for the public's favour in differing ways. Then there's the most controversial passenger, Masatoshi Goto. Goto was the former president of a travel company that was held responsible for a tragic helicopter accident that claimed the lives of eight people. Or at least, a lot of people onboard the shinkansen claim that he's responsible. Finally, on the outside, tensions flare between the commander of the control centre, Yuichi Kasagi and the senior advisor to the prime minister, Kentaro Sasaki. Those two butt heads when it comes to the methods of saving the lives of the people aboard the shinkansen with Kasagi trying his best to save everyone and Sasaki merely trying to get things done swiftly and as least damaging as possible. 

Were the movie truly differs from the previous movie is the incorporation of social media into the narrative. Todoroki being an influencer provides the perfect type of character to incorporate the newer technology. His plan involves using his social media presence and platform in order to keep people updated whilst also setting up a crowd-funder in order to obtain the ransom demanded by the bomber. We get to see the reactions as they pour through and it pays off quite neatly by the end. 

The other major way in which this sequel differed from the prior movie is the fact that the production received support from the East Japan Railway Company. The company provided the production with actual Shinkansen units and railway facilities for filming, upping the immersion and realism drastically. I love it. I also loved the model trains used in crafting the carefully calculated plans. 

As for the bomber themselves... It's pretty obvious from the get-go. I guessed straight away just by clocking onto certain characters behaviour. The backstory and motivations are what they are. 

The cast were all excellent. From Tsuyoshi Kusanagi as Takaichi, to Machiko Ono as Yuko Nagami. Jun Kaname was one of the stand-outs, bringing a glorious energy to scenes as Todoroki. The beautiful Non was great as the train driver, Chika Matsumoto and Takumi Satoh was great as the commander of the call centre, Yuichi Kasagi. I'm still not quite used to seeing Saito without the long hair and beard, but he does look like a handsome fella to be fair. 

Overall, Bullet Train Explosion is a solidly crafted action thriller. It's not perfect by any means, but it is smarter than the average movie of the genre and quite immersive. I'd recommend it to fans of the original movie, just to see how you feel about it. I'd also recommend it to action thriller fans as well as train enthusiasts as you get to see a really cool shinkansen. Just be sure to give it a chance past the first thirty minutes as that's when it picks up.