Pop quiz, hotshot: A bomb is planted aboard a train and will detonate if it drops below a certain speed. Sound familiar?
Before Speed had Keanu Reeves trying to save a city bus full of people with Sandra Bullock by his side, Japan actually did it first — with a train. And now, 50 years later, the high-stakes thriller that helped inspire Speed has gotten a full-throttle remake. Bullet Train Explosion, a modern reimagining of the 1975 cult classic The Bullet Train, hits Netflix next week (on April 23).
In the new version, expect all the nail-biting tension and ticking-clock thrills that made the original such a genre-defining ride. And the setup for Bullet Train Explosion is just as deliciously simple: A mysterious saboteur has planted a bomb aboard a packed high-speed train and delivers one demand — don’t slow down, or everyone on board dies. The rest is a symphony of panic, problem-solving, and pulse-pounding action, as authorities scramble to identify the culprit and the train’s crew races to keep their runaway ride from becoming a fireball.
“A tense phone call came into the Shinkansen General Operation Control Center,” Netflix’s summary of Bullet Train Explosion begins. “The caller claims that a bomb has been planted on the Hayabusa No. 60 bound for Tokyo, and that the bomb will explode as soon as the speed of the Shinkansen train drops below 100 km/h. The caller demands 100 billion yen in ransom money to disarm the bomb.
“The last-minute battle unfolds as the crew, passengers, and railroad workers strive to prevent the explosion within the limited time available. Will the running Hayabusa No. 60 be able to overcome this crisis?”
Much like the original, this remake weaves together multiple storylines — stressed-out officials, innocent passengers, and a villain whose motives might not be as black-and-white as they seem. But this new thriller also cranks up the visual spectacle, adding modern flair with slick cinematography, a pounding score, and the kind of action sequences that practically rattle your screen.
Whether you’re a fan of old-school disaster flicks or simply good, quality, pulse-pounding suspense, this new one from Netflix definitely looks like it’s worth hopping aboard. Also worth noting: The production got special cooperation from the East Japan Railway Company, using real bullet trains and railway facilities to achieve the kind of hyper-realistic visuals that are sure to keep viewers breathless.
