Is Bullet Train Explosion based on a true story? Details explored

Bullet Train Explosion is Netflix's upcoming Japanese action-thriller film directed by Shinji Higuchi. Also known as Shinkansen Daibakuha, the movie is set to be released on April 23, 2025. It centers around a terrorist who has attached a bomb to a high-speed bullet train, the Hayabusa No. 60. He demands 100 billion yen in exchange for deactivating the bomb.

The official tagline for Bullet Train Explosion on Netflix reads:

"When panic erupts on a Tokyo-bound bullet train that will explode if it slows below 100 kph, authorities race against time to save everyone on board."

As for whether the movie is based on a true story, the answer is negative. The film is fictional and is a remake of the 1975 movie The Bullet Train, directed by Junya Sato. The 2025 movie stars Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Kanata Hosoda, Non, Takumi Saitoh, Machiko Ono, Jun Kaname, and Hana Toyoshima.

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Bullet Train Explosion: Exploring the storyline

The Bullet Train Explosion is about the Tohoku Shinkansen Hayabusa No. 60 bullet train on its way from Honshu island to Tokyo. Tsuyosh Kasagi, the senior conductor of the train, receives an anonymous phone call stating that there is a bomb onboard.

Before he can stop the train, which is carrying hundreds of passengers, he realizes that the train will explode automatically if its speed drops below a hundred kilometers an hour. The terrorist asks for a sum of 100 billion yen to avert the crisis; however, the Japanese government refuses to pay the amount.

Now, the responsibility of keeping the train from exploding falls into the hands of the diligent JR East staff and passengers aboard the train. These include a tech mogul (Jun Kaname), a dishonored politician (Machiko Ono), and a carriage full of panicked high schoolers.

Taikachi, a railway operations officer at the Shinkansen General Operation Control Center, and his team must come up with a plan to stop the train. At the same time, they must ensure that the passengers of the train remain calm.

With time running out and tensions building, the passengers form alliances and discover their latent strengths. The film strikes a balance between suspense, action, and a character-driven narrative, pointing out human resourcefulness, collaboration, and optimism under duress.

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The Bullet Train (1975)

A still from The Bullet Train (1975) (Image via Prime Video)

The Bullet Train is a Japanese thriller-disaster film by Junya Satō. The film takes us along with the Hikari 109, a bullet train going from Tokyo to Hakata. Within minutes of leaving the station, railway staff are alerted to a menacing threat: a bomb has been placed on board, and it will explode if the speed of the train falls below 80 km/h.

The mastermind behind the operation is Tetsuo Okita, a man on the verge of bankruptcy. He and two others make a huge ransom demand from the railway corporation and the government. The conductor of the train and the control center staff of the railway work desperately to keep the train at high speed while attempting to identify and deactivate the bomb.

As the plot thickens, The Bullet Train also explores Okita's situation, presenting him as a multi-dimensional villain rather than an entirely evil character. Tension builds through a series of technical problems and emotional tension among passengers and crew members. Meanwhile, the police attempt to apprehend the terrorists before their train explodes.

Combining action, suspense, and character-based drama, The Bullet Train is a movie that inspired the modern remake, Bullet Train Explosion.

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Bullet Train Explosion will start streaming on Netflix on April 23, 2023.