BULLET TRAIN EXPLOSION is the Japanese version of the 1995 film, SPEED, that starred Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, and Dennis Hopper. Quite frankly, BTE did not bring the emotional, high-anxiety levels to the screen. Maybe it was because the film was dubbed with pretty blasé English-speaking voiceovers. It lost a ton of angst in the translations. I found myself not caring as much about the outcome. This is never a good sign when watching a fast-paced action thriller.
The scenes featuring the bullet train racing across Japan’s countryside were the best. I was mesmerized by the powerful, speedy locomotives. I secretly wanted to yell out, “train” like my three-year-old grandson would do with delight. I almost called him to say, “Guess what I’m watching,” but alas, the trains just weren’t enough to carry the movie. Go figure.
The passengers on the train confused me as well. There was no humanity or team spirit for most of the way. All for one was the motto, and maybe that’s the path the younger generation would take, but it was pandemonium and very awkward. SPEED saw the best in all of us, and that made a huge, entertaining difference.
BULLET TRAIN EXPLOSION did not do enough to float my boat. Finding normalcy was the key issue. This destroyed my illusions. This train movie went off the rails too many times. A train movie should be just a train movie.
BULLET TRAIN EXPLOSION is streaming on NETFLIX.
