The Bullet Train (Shinkansen Daibakuha) (1975)
Runtime: 152 minutes
Directed by: Jun'ya Sato
Starring: Ken Takakura, Sonny Chiba, Kei Yamamoto, Eiji Go, Akira Oda
From: Toei
This was watched now for obvious reasons. To ensure that this review is evergreen, that is because by the time I post this on Thursday night August 4th the film Bullet Train will have been released in many countries across the world (although ironically not Japan). The trailers have been big turn-offs for me so don't expect a review of what appears to be an incredibly obnoxious picture; the fact that recently I saw a comparison to HUDSON HAWK doesn't exactly give me confidence either! Instead I'll watch this entirely unrelated film which I received on Blu-the old Twilight Time release-earlier in the year and what better time to experience it than now?
The plot: a villain plants a bomb on one of the famed bullet trains of Japan-the Shinkansen as it's known locally-and if the vehicle goes below 80 kilometers per hour (50 MPH) it will blow up. Now why does that sound familiar... that's right, a famous 90's action spectacle was “heavily inspired” by this film. Allegedly, the writer of Speed (Graham Yost) says that he heard about 1985's Runaway Train and without having seen it, thought it was about a bomb on the titular train. The leader of the gang is Ken Takakura, who is best known in the West for either Sydney Pollack's The Yakuza or Ridley Scott's Black Rain but was a huge star in the Land of the Rising Sun. Here, he is actually painted with a sympathetic brush. Various bad things happen to him so this lead him down the primrose path of making a bomb for the case of a phat ransom. Then again, it is putting 1,500 people in danger so think of that what you will.
This also follows law enforcement attempting to nab the bad guys, the Japanese National Railways workers at the command center making sure no other trains or other obstacles can slow the train, the passengers and their escalating fear once they hear the details, and the train conductors-one of them Sonny Chiba. No, Chiba doesn't kick anyone's ass; rather, he's usually sweaty as he's highly concerned about the F-ed up situation he's in. Still, it was a nice performance from him. Anyhow, this is 152 minutes long yet due to all the characters/stories, there was nary a dull moment for me.
Various other faces I recognized (even in a cameo it's always nice seeing Takashi Shimura), some quite tense moments, plenty of miniature work, and a funky score that at times sounded like Herbie Hancock in his 70's jazz fusion phase... this was a pretty good time despite a moment or two that made me groan as it was incredibly convenient for the plot. Purchasing the Blu on sale was a wise purchase; otherwise the movie is quite difficult to find in widescreen form w/ its original runtime; the dubbed English version at 115 minutes is the one you usually can locate for streaming purposes.
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