Bullet Train Explosion to stream on Netflix this April – a new thriller from Shin Godzilla's director

Netflix recently revealed Bullet Train Explosion, an upcoming action-thriller movie directed by Shinji Higuchi of Shin Godzilla fame.

No, this new movie is not related to the Bullet Train movie starring Brad Pitt. Instead, this is a contemporary remake of “The Bullet Train,” an action-thriller from the 70s that has become an icon in Japan thanks to its thrilling premise.

The remake was revealed with a new trailer that you can watch here:

Along with the trailer, Netflix also shared the film’s star-studded cast:

Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
Kanata Hosoda
Non
Jun Kaname
Machiko Ono
Hana Toyoshima
Daisuke Kuroda
Satoshi Matsuo
Suzuka Ohgo
Matsuya Onoe
Naomasa Musaka
Pierre Taki
Bando Yajuro
Takumi Saitoh

And to give you a better idea of what to expect, the film’s premise is described as:

Tension mounts aboard the Tohoku Shinkansen Hayabusa No. 60, bound for Tokyo, where a bomb is rigged to instantly detonate if the train’s speed drops below 100 km/h. As panic grips the passengers following the announcement of conductor Takaichi (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi), the crew, passengers, and the Shinkansen General Operation Control Center race against time to avert disaster.

Given that it’s a remake, the story is quite similar to the original 70s Bullet Train movie. The biggest difference is that the remake is set in the present day, and instead of a 0 Series Shinkansen on the Hikari service, this new film is set in a Tohoku Shinkansen Hayabusa No. 60, bound for Tokyo.

As such, the film now follows an E5 Series Shinkansen, a type of rolling stock that travelers to Japan should be familiar with if they’ve been north of Tokyo. Because of the newer rolling stock, the train is now forced to keep its 100km/h speed instead of the 80km/h in the original.

Based on the trailer, coupled with the fact that Shin Godzilla’s co-director is helming the film, Bullet Train Explosion promises to be worth seeing for most viewers. As a railfan though, this film is a must-watch, especially as I’m a big fan of any shinkansen rolling stock, so seeing one in a movie is always a treat.

Bullet Train Explosion will be released on April 23, exclusively on Netflix.