Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		2.5

The Bullet Train Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 25, 2023

Junya Sato’s "The Bullet Train" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include new program with critic Tony Rayns; new program with critic Kim Newman; archival program with director Junya Sato; new audio commentary recorded by critics Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp; and more. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

We have put a bomb on the Hikari 109. It will be activated at 80 kilometers per hour.

It is said and confirmed that Junya Sato’s The Bullet Train was the inspiration for Jan De Bont’s blockbuster Speed (1994). I am not disputing that it is so because there are several elements of the stories these films tell that are practically identical. However, I would love to see a good program that explains the nature of this inspiration. Was it De Bont that felt inspired? When was that? There is plenty of archival material with De Bont in which he discusses Speed and I do not recall seeing him address The Bullet Train and its apparently enormous influence. Screenwriters Graham Yost and Keanu Reaves had a lot of original ideas about Speed as well. I genuinely wonder how much of an inspiration The Bullet Train was and to what parties.

If you are getting ready to see The Bullet Train for the first time and expect it to be a Japanese high-octane action thriller like Speed but with a distinct 1970s appearance, I think that you are setting yourself up for a disappointment. To be clear, The Bullet Train has quite a bit of action, so it will meet at least some of your expectations. However, the action in The Bullet Train is a façade and on the other side of it there is a lot of politics, which is why it is far easier to compare it to John Frankenheimer’s Black Sunday (1977). In fact, if I were a betting man, I would feel pretty good betting on Frankenheimer getting his inspiration for Black Sunday from The Bullet Train because there are very serious similarities between these films.

Perhaps the most interesting and consequential similarity is that in both films the main bad characters are radicalized men who used to be good citizens. In The Bullet Train, Ken Takakura plays a middle-aged husband who fails to secure a crucial loan that can save his family and shortly after evolves into a mad avenger. To get his revenge, he brainwashes a couple of angry young Marxists to join him and together they agree to place a bomb on a high-speed train. However, the terror they plan to unleash is not meant to only hurt the System, they will request $5 million to deactivate the bomb so that they can move to countries where the Revolution has been or could be successful, too.

The other interesting similarity is in the depiction of the media as a convenient tool for mass manipulation, which was not a mainstream concept during the 1970s. In The Bullet Train, the government chooses to ‘temporarily’ take control of the media and extends the paranoia while detectives are dispatched to track down the mad avenger after he successfully disappears with the ransom money.

The action is mixed with very heavy melodrama, which is one of the main reasons the international version of The Bullet Train is significantly shorter. The international version is 115 minutes long and eliminates quite a bit of material that emphasizes the paranoia among the terrified passengers on the train as well as the discussions between the authorities that are trying to locate the bomb. While it uses the original music soundtrack, the international version is dubbed in English, too. The original Japanese theatrical version of The Bullet Train is approximately 152 minutes long.

Eureka Entertainment’s Blu-ray release presents both versions of The Bullet Train. The original Japanese theatrical version has been restored in 2K. However, in the international version, there are several very small sections that use footage taken from a lower-quality source.

The cast also includes cult star Sonny Chiba (Yakiza Wolf films), Tetsuro Tamba, Kei Yamamoto, Tamio Kawachi, Eiji Go, and Akira Oda.

A borderline psychedelic soundtrack mixing jazz tunes and traditional Japanese sounds courtesy of Hachiro Aoyama gives The Bullet Train a very unique personality.

The Bullet Train Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Bullet Train arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

I viewed the original Japanese theatrical version of The Bullet Train is sourced from a 2K master. Also included on this release is the shorter international version of The Bullet Train, which is dubbed in English.

I found the technical presentation very frustrating and ultimately disappointing. It appears that someone was guessing how the film should look, so when the 2K master was graded several mistakes were made that destroyed its native appearance. For example, virtually all whites and blues are affected by a harsh green cast that makes different sections of the film have a neon-esque appearance. (See here and here). Daylight footage can look particularly poor because the green cast eliminates the different white, blue, and even proper green nuances. (See here). There are several areas where trained eyes will easily recognize that the dynamic range of the visuals is not right either (see here). Grain appears slightly overexposed and uneven, but it is still pleasing. Image stability is good. I did not encounter any larger and distracting cuts, debris, marks, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Bullet Train Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The original Japanese theatrical version can be seen with a Japanese LPCM 2.0 track and optional English subtitles. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame. The international version can be seen with an English LPCM 2.0. track.

I thought that the Japanese LPCM 2.0 track was excellent. The soundtrack creates some quite wonderful dynamic contrasts, but do not expect memorable areas with plenty of activity. Even during the action footage, the spikes in dynamic activity are not of the kind that can test the muscles of your system. The dialog is always clear, sharp, and stable. The English translation is very good. Also, I really liked the size of the subtitles.

The Bullet Train Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer One - a vintage original trailer for The Bullet Train. In Japanese, with English subtitles. (4 min).

• Trailer Two - a vintage original trailer for The Bullet Train. In Japanese, with English subtitles. (2 min).

• Off the Rails - in this program, film writer Tatsuya Masuto, film critic Masaaki Nomura, discuss the production of The Bullet Train, some of Junya Sato's original ideas for the film, as well as its promotional campaign, which was apparently mishandled by Toei. (The Bulelt Train was released in Japan on a double bill). Also, there are some very interesting comments about the French version of the film, which eliminated some of the bombers' motives, and the Japanese critics' reaction to it. In Japanese, with English subtitles. (21 min).

• Tony Rayns on The Bullet Train - in this new train, critic Tony Rayns discusses The Bullet Train and its conception and themes, as well as the and legacy of its creator. In English, not subtitled (27 min).

• Kim Newman on Mad Bombers in Cinema - in this new program, critic Kim Newman discusses some of the more radical cinematic characters that appeared over the years. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Big Movie, Big Panic - in this archival program, director Junya Sato reveals how the original idea for The Bullet Train came to exist, and discusses the production of the film, its style, theatrical distribution and reception in Japan and overseas (France). In Japanese, with English subtitles. (25 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp.

• Booklet - a limited edition collector's booklet featuring a new essay by film writer Barry Forshaw as well as technical credits.

The Bullet Train Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In the internet era, The Bullet Train acquired quite a reputation for being the inspiration for Speed. However, if you are getting ready to see The Bullet Train for the first time and expect it to be a Japanese high-octane action thriller like Speed, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. The Bullet Train belongs in the company of Black Sunday and Juggernaut, and if you take the time to examine it closely, I think you will discover that its action is a façade and on the other side of it there is a lot of politics. Eureka Entertainment's presentation of The Bullet Train is quite frustrating because large parts of the film have an unnatural appearance. On the other hand, some of the bonus features on it are excellent.