Shinkansen daibakuha (1975)

Criminals plant a bomb on a high-speed train. It will explode when the train slows down, unless a ransom is paid.

Director:

Jun'ya Satô

Writers:

Ryûnosuke Ono (screenplay), Jun'ya Satô (screenplay)

Stars:

Ken Takakura, Shin'ichi Chiba, Kei Yamamoto

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ken Takakura	...	Tetsuo Okita
Shin'ichi Chiba	...	Aoki (as Sonny Chiba)
Kei Yamamoto	...	Masaru Koga
Eiji Gô	...	Shinji Fujio
Akira Oda	...	Hiroshi Ôshiro
Raita Ryû	...	Kikuchi
Masayo Utsunomiya	...	Yasuko
Yumiko Fujita	...	Akiyama
Yumi Takigawa	...	SAS Staff
Etsuko Shiomi	...	Telephone Operator (as Etsuko Shihomi)
Fumio Watanabe	...	Miyashita
Toyoto Fukuda	...	Tashiro
Hiroko Fuji	...	Female Teacher
Junko Matsudaira	...	Cashier
Koreharu Hisatomi	...	Hirota

Storyline

One of the Japanese Shinkansen "Bullet Trains" is threatened with a bomb that will explode automatically if the train slows below 80 km/h, unless a ransom is paid. Police race to find the bombers and to learn how to defuse the bomb.

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Plot Keywords:

train | bomb | police | train movie | runaway train | 

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Taglines:

They said it couldn't happen... But for 1500 passengers Bullet Train 109 became a nightmare journey that just couldn't be stopped!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

1 January 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bullet Train

Filming Locations:

Airport, Chitose, Hokkaido, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toei Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

152 min 115 min (DVD) 115 min (edited/dubbed) 96 min (cut theatrical) 98 min (Cut theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Publicity for the picture stated that bullet trains in real life cost more than $16 million each. It also stated that a bullet train could travel at speeds up to 242 kph (150 mph) making a 750 mile (1207 km) journey, such as the route between Hakatu and Tokyo, take only 7½ hours.

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Connections

Featured in Big Movie, Big Panic: Junya Sato on the Bullet Train (2016)

User Reviews

Excellent movie, worth watching

This movie is very good. It allows you to feel as if you are riding on one of Japan's bullet trains. (In Bulgaria, we call them 'arrow trains'). The movie plot follows in a very logical sequence, as the viewer is lead through the events from planting of the bomb to the eventual happy end. The characters of the terrorist are well played, as the motivations for their actions are explained. And their very human emotions of strife and hesitation are shown as we gradually learn who they are and what they want. Conversely, the train authorities are portrayed as brave people, who are taking prompt actions to eliminate the bomb. All in all, it is a movie that is pleasant to watch and will immerse you in a somewhat different world. The music, at times, becomes very gentle and dreamy (I wonder who composed the music and whether a soundtrack CD can be obtained from somewhere?) Watch this movie, it will be a memorable one for you!