Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Netflix’s Bullet Train Explosion revisits the 1975 Japanese thriller The Bullet Train, a film Netflix identifies as an inspiration for Speed. The connection is a shared high-speed bomb premise—not a claim that Speed is a direct adaptation. Directed by Shinji Higuchi and starring Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, the new film premiered on Netflix on April 23, 2025; availability may vary by country.
What is the Japanese movie linked to Speed?
It is The Bullet Train (Japanese title: Shinkansen Daibakuha), a 1975 film directed by Junya Sato and produced by Toei. Netflix describes its 2025 film, Bullet Train Explosion, as a reboot of that movie and says the original inspired Speed. Netflix’s announcement and the Associated Press point to the films’ similar bomb-triggered speed premise.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Bullet Train - Blu-ray + DVD + Digital | $18.53 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Bullet Train - 4K + Blu-ray + Digital | $24.49 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Bullet Train - 4K + Blu-ray + Digital | $36.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Bullet Train (4K UHD + Blu-ray) | $38.19 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
The Bullet Train | $36.99 | Buy on Amazon |
That link needs a distinction: a similar setup is not proof of direct adaptation. TIME’s account says Speed screenwriter Graham Yost attributed the idea for that film to Runaway Train and notes there is no direct connection between Speed and the Japanese movie. The careful description is that Netflix identifies The Bullet Train as an inspiration, while the films share a premise.
What happens in Bullet Train Explosion?
Netflix’s synopsis places a bomb aboard the Hayabusa No. 60, bound for Tokyo. It will detonate if the train drops below 100 km/h, and the bomber demands 100 billion yen. Those numbers describe the film’s fictional crisis, not real railway safety rules. The crew includes Takaichi, played by Tsuyoshi Kusanagi; Fujii, played by Kanata Hosoda; and driver Matsumoto, played by Non. Netflix’s April 2025 announcement gives the premise and cast details.
#1 Best Overall
- Ladybug (Brad Pitt), an unlucky assassin determined to do his job peacefully, is on a mission that puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries.
How does the 2025 film compare with the 1975 original?
The newer film returns to the original’s central suspense device but gives it a new train, route, and fictional speed threshold. TIME describes the 1975 story as a bomb threat aboard the Hikari 109, travelling from Tokyo to Hakata, with 1,500 passengers at risk if the train slowed below 80 km/h. Those are details of the 1975 film’s plot as reported by TIME, not historical railway facts.
| Film | Train and story setting | Fictional bomb threshold | Relationship to the other films |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Bullet Train (1975) | Hikari 109, travelling from Tokyo to Hakata, according to TIME | Below 80 km/h, according to TIME’s account of the plot | Netflix identifies it as an inspiration for Speed; this does not establish direct adaptation |
| Bullet Train Explosion (2025) | Hayabusa No. 60, bound for Tokyo, according to Netflix | Below 100 km/h, according to Netflix’s synopsis | Netflix calls it a reboot of the 1975 film |
The labels for the new film differ by source: Netflix calls it a “reboot,” while TIME calls it a “sequel.” “Revisits” or “new version based on the 1975 film” avoids implying a continuity that the sources do not settle.
Rank #2
- Ladybug (Brad Pitt), an unlucky assassin determined to do his job peacefully, is on a mission that puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries.
How was the new film made?
Netflix says East Japan Railway Company and JR East Marketing & Communications provided special cooperation, and that the production used real bullet trains and railway facilities. The film also combines practical and digital techniques rather than relying on train footage alone.
- The Associated Press reports that the production used miniature train models built at one-sixth the size of a real train, computer graphics, and an LED wall projecting passing scenery.
- Those projected landscapes were combined with footage shot aboard a real train, according to the AP.
- Director Shinji Higuchi told the AP that the criminal act shown in the film is not physically possible today. The story’s bomb mechanism should therefore be understood as a suspense device, not a depiction of an operational railway vulnerability.
Where can you watch it?
Bullet Train Explosion had an exclusive Netflix streaming premiere on April 23, 2025, according to Netflix. Check Netflix in your region for current availability, since catalogs can differ by territory and change over time. A current streaming listing or physical-media edition for the 1975 The Bullet Train is not established by the sources cited here.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #4
- Bullet Train (4K UHD + Blu-ray)
Rank #3
- Ladybug (Brad Pitt), an unlucky assassin determined to do his job peacefully, is on a mission that puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
