Shrewd criminal mastermind Tetsuo Okita (superbly played by Ken Takakura) plants a bomb on a high-speed Japanese Shinkansen bullet train that's wired to explode if the train goes under 80 kilometers per hour. Stalwart Captain Aoki (the always cool Sonny Chiba) has to keep the express hurtling along at a breakneck velocity and prevent the 1,500 passengers from succumbing to panic while the authorities led by no-nonsense Transit Chief Kuromochi (an excellent performance by Ken Utsui ) try to find and apprehend the wily and evasive Okita before he gets away. Director/co-screenwriter Junya Sato wrings plenty of nerve-jangling suspense from the riveting and inspired premise, maintains a constant snappy pace throughout, stages the action scenes with substantial rip-snorting brio, and elicits sound acting from a sturdy cast. Masahiko Iimura's crisp, gliding, glossy widescreen photography and Hachiro Aoyama's stirring, funky-groovin' score further enhance the overall sterling quality of this bang-up gripping and rousing picture. Similar to "Speed," it's a far superior film: tough, gritty and serious, with no silly humor or icky-cute sentiment to diminish the unsparing severity of the gut-wrenching tension. Only the poor dubbing detracts a tad from this otherwise on the money tense, potent and absorbing pip.

I was doing some sale shopping searching randomly through an online webs-tore, when i came across Bullet Train. I noticed that it starred Sonny Chiba, an actor who Quentin Tarantino has honoured with a great deal of praise. So I bought it. Thankfully, it was the full 152min R2 version from Optimum (I understand the previous edit was fairly poor, judging by other comments I have read). The picture and sound quality were superb. The the original dialogue sounded crisp throughout, and with the full 2:35 anamorphic widescreen print available, the DVD was a very enjoyable watch. Although Sonny Chiba gets top billing here, he has a glorified cameo appearance throughout, only once venturing away from his chair at about the 2hr 10min mark. This film belongs, and rightfully so to Ken Takakura. He plays the bomber Okita, a role which he plays with such precision and empathy that you want him to get away at the end of the movie. This being an action/thriller movie, we all know he won't. In an ending similar to Bullitt, the final chase takes place on/near an airport runway. The final shot of which is, albeit of a violent act, is beautiful in its execution. Some of the model work is a bit on the dodgy side, but it was made in 1975. As all of the characters are well rounded, we get a rare insight into the bombers gang, which I have never seen in the type of film. We find out how Okita first met he assailants in flashbacks when things start to go pear shaped. Better than Speed (which is still an excellent popcorn movie) but for different reasons. Well worth the time and effort to watch. Just make sure your get the original 152min Japanese language version. It makes all the difference.

`Bullet Train' (Orig. Title: Shinkansen Daibakuha) is a gripping thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Made in 1975, `Bullet Train' predates Jan De Bont's similar `Speed' by almost two decades and is the vastly superior drama. The wonderful Ken Takakura portrays the bomber with a grudge, while cult action star Shinichi `Sonny' Chiba portrays Shinkansen (Bullet Train) operator Aoki who must find the explosive device before his train explodes. Utsui Ken (who portrayed the serial hero Super Giant/Star Man) also puts in a great performance as Transit Chief Kuromochi who must not only deal with the demands of the bomber but must also deal with the political and public backlash and hysteria that ensues the crisis. While some of the SFX work does not really look all too convincing, the overall film is a joy to see. Ken Takakura's somber and tragic character of Okita is quite a contrast to Dennis Hopper's wacky and cartoonish villain in `Speed". While the film is not great, it certainly is worth a look. Blink and you could miss the cameo of Shihomi Etsuko as a transit telephone operator.

This movie was special in having an extremely interesting plot and fast paced action. The cast is excellent with then major Japanese star Sony Chiba playing a minor role. The mastermind, played by Ken Takakura, is cool, calculating, and very human as opposed to the plain evil vilains typical in those days. The action is excellent and credible in a time when special effects were not computer-generated. I'm convinced that the plot for the movie "Speed" was lifted from this movie. It's worth seeing. I'm currently looking for a copy on VHS or DVD but to no avail. "Help!"