Trevor M
Sometimes a movie comes along that’s hard to critique—not because it’s complex or challenging, but because it leaves so little impact that it’s difficult to say exactly why it didn’t work. That’s how I felt about the original 1975 Bullet Train. It didn’t land with a bang—it landed like a weak fart. Let’s unpack why.
First off, the runtime. This movie is simply too long for the story it’s trying to tell. There’s maybe 75–90 minutes of actual plot here, and the rest feels like padding. Scenes and shots drag on well past their welcome, and the film circles itself endlessly without progressing in any meaningful way.
Now the characters—or lack thereof. I just finished watching this film fifteen minutes ago and I genuinely couldn’t name a single character. No one really steps forward as the lead until the final act, and even then, the movie struggles to establish any emotional connection. The train terrorists seem to take center stage, but they’re also the antagonists, so we’re left confused about how to feel. Are we supposed to root for them? Fear them? Pity them? The movie doesn’t seem to know, so it’s hard for the audience to decide either.
What’s worse is how frustratingly dumb everyone is. Characters make consistently bad decisions or respond with wildly exaggerated emotions. The passengers panic like cartoon characters, the police are incompetent, and the robbers oscillate between greedy amateurs and wannabe revolutionaries with half-baked philosophies. At one point, a character says it doesn’t matter if they all die, as long as they finish the job. But… the job is getting money. You can’t spend money if you’re dead, and no one in the crew seems to have any specific motivation beyond “not being poor would be groovy, I guess.”
Then there’s the setting. A high-speed bullet train should be a goldmine for tension and tight, creative action. Instead, the film barely uses it. Maybe 5–10% of the movie actually takes place on the train. Sure, bullet trains are too fast for rooftop chases or dramatic car-jumping, but the film doesn't even explore the interior much. There are some cool moments—panicked passengers crushed in the aisles, people threatening to jump only to realize how dumb that is—but overall, the train is underutilized. Only one real character spends any time on it: the conductor, who sits in the front car sweating over throttle controls. Not exactly gripping stuff.
To its credit, The Bullet Train laid the groundwork for better films to come. You can see the DNA of Speed, Crank, Unstoppable, and even the 2022 Bullet Train in its bones. But good ideas alone don’t make a good movie—especially when so much of the runtime is bogged down in dull flashbacks (a high-speed thriller is not the place for frequent slow-paced detours).
Ultimately, I can’t recommend this one. It might be a pioneer, but that doesn’t make it worth your time. Skip it and check out one of the films that built on its concept and did it better.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
06/29/25
Full Review
Dan D
This is the blueprint movie for Speed. Since it's from the 70s, the special effects are wanting. The story is okay, but predictable. Passenger reactions when they learn of the bomb are hilarious and was the best part of the film.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
04/23/25
Full Review
DanTheMan 2
Before Brad Pitt rode the Bullet Train, Sonny Chiba drove it. Despite the sheer length of the uncut version running at over 2 and a half hours, The Bullet Train never once lets up and chugs along at a breakneck pace as a highly engaging and remarkably tense original thriller.
A former businessman who lost his manufacturing company to bankruptcy and separated from his wife and son a year earlier is desperate to make ends meet and start over. He collaborates with an activist and a former employee in an elaborate plot to extort money from the government. He threatens that one of Japan's Bullet Trains will explode if it drops below 80km/h unless his ransom is paid. It's a race against time for both the passengers and police to find and defuse the bomb before an imminent catastrophe unfolds...
Despite his name being proudly spotlighted in the opening credits, Sonny Chiba is barely in this film but makes a tremendous impact as the driver of the titular train. Instead, the film focuses on fleshing out and providing a sympathetic motivation for its "villain" Tetsuo Okita played wonderfully by Ken Takakura and the reality of his accompanying henchmen played by Kei Yamamoto and Akira Oda respectively.
While the main plot is most certainly about the imminent safety of the 1,500 passengers onboard the Shinkansen, the real focus is on the Police's efforts to track down Okita and his accomplices, complying with any and all demands he submits and ultimately figure out how on earth they are going to defuse the bomb. Meanwhile all the passengers are slowly succumbing to mass hysteria wondering how on earth they are going to get out of this as they slowly wait to die.
It's a nicely directed affair from Jun'ya Satô, someone I'll definitely be seeing more of when it comes to his adaptation of Golgo 13 and Yamato. He makes good use of long sweeping shots and the benefit from shooting on the real train provides a sense of claustrophobia that you can't really replicate in a studio. There are plenty of tense moments throughout be it car chases or near misses, he delivers.
When there's the use of the Toei special effects department, they outdo themselves with effects that are essentially seamless, the shots of the model Shinkansen are stupendously woven into the rest of the footage, they fooled me into thinking they were the real thing at times.
The music composed by Hachiro Aoyama is one of the film's biggest highlights in many regards. It carries with it a sense of funk that wouldn't be out of place in an Italian police drama from the same time. While I have my grievances about the placement of some of the music it doesn't disappoint in terms of instrument choice.
It's largely thanks to some confusion by Screenwriter Graham Yost thinking that this and the later Jon Voight film, Runaway Train, were one and the same that we ended up with the excellent Keanu Reeves film Speed that seemingly combines both plots together.
With an ending shot that's guaranteed to leave a lasting impression, The Bullet Train, despite its inherent flaws, is a highly enjoyable ride from start to finish populated with great performances and a jazzy funk score that will have you toe-tapping long after the credits roll. I'll definitely be watching this again in the future.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
08/04/23
Full Review
cees t
I prefer Speed and Crank, but this is adequate.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
dustin d
"The Bullet Train" is an exhilarating suspense movie with realistic depictions of bullet train operations, a believable story featuring characters with clear motivations, and a life-like (and somewhat cynical) look at police tactics. This was the inspiration for the movie Speed, but should be appreciated on its own merits. The main criticism people have of the film seems to be it is marketed as a Sonny Chiba film when he really has a secondary role as the train conductor. The sentiment is he was miscast, even though he is quite good in the role. High-quality suspense film, overall.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Something real interesting is going on in here and I want in on it
A Japanese bullet train has been loaded with a dynamite bomb with a timer that will cause it to explode if the train reaches a speed below 80 mph (I could have the speed measurement wrong). Because of the speed of the train, no one can come on or off the train and the train will have to be cautious when driving through cities until someone can figure out how to locate and disarm the bomb.
"It's turning out to be a real rotten little deal."
Junya Sato, director of Lost in the Wilderness, Dream of Russia, Golgo 13, The Private Police, The Ando File, The True Account of Ginza Tortures, and Never Give Up, delivers Bullet Train. The storyline for this picture will remind viewers of a cross between Pelham One Two Three and Speed. The acting is surprisingly solid and the cast includes Sonny Chiba (in a very limited role), Ken Takakura (Black Rain), Kei Yamamoto (Premonition), Eijo Go (The Executioner), Yumiko Fujita (Time and Tide), Etsuko Shihomi (Karate Bear Fighter and The Bodyguard), and Fumio Watanabe (Scorpion: Female Prisoner Cage #41).
"The bomber will take the money and let the train explode anyway?"
While this movie is part of the "Kill Chiba" collection, I hardly consider this a Chiba picture. He barely appears in this film at all; however, the villain delivers a solid performance and makes up for a lack of Chiba. The ultimate plot and sub plots make the film worthwhile. I will say the film is a little slow and does not come across as dramatic as the director may have intended, but I still found this film entertaining.
"I can take a lot more than you can ever give out."
Grade: B-
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/19/23
Full Review
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