Netflix has unveiled the trailer for its latest action-packed film featuring a high-stakes scenario where a bomb on a Tokyo-bound bullet train threatens to detonate if the speed falls below 100 km/h. Bullet Train Explosion follows emergency services as they scramble to defuse the situation after receiving a tip-off about the explosive device.
The bomber demands a staggering JPY100 billion ($660 million) in ransom, setting off a tense countdown to avert disaster and save everyone on board.
Directed by Shin Godzilla’s own Shinji Higuchi, Bullet Train Explosion is set to premiere on Wednesday, April 23. However, as took to social media to promote the new flick, eagle-eyed viewers couldn’t help but notice the uncanny resemblance to the 1994 blockbuster Speed, which starred Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.
reports fans were quick to draw parallels, with comments flooding in such as “Where’s Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves?” and “So basically the exact plot of the film Speed with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock but with a bullet train instead of a bus?”.
Directed by Shin Godzilla’s Shinji Higuchi, Bullet Train Explosion will be released on Wednesday, April 23. (Image: Netflix)
Others shared remarks like, “It’s called SPEED, and it was already done literally 30 years ago.”
Despite the comparisons, some fans pointed out that Bullet Train Explosion is actually a remake of the 1975 Japanese film Bullet Train, which itself served as an inspiration for Speed.
This fact was highlighted by one commenter who clarified, “For those confused, this is a remake of a 1975 Japanese film that would end up being the inspiration for Speed”.
Bullet Train Explosion sees emergency services receive a tip-off that a bomb has been planted on a Tokyo-bound bullet train, which will explode if it drops below 100 km/h. (Image: Netflix)
One person pointed out the film’s origins, saying: “This is the remake of the movie that Speed got the idea off of. How do none of you know that?”
Another shared: “I love it when people just go ‘they are not trying to hide they copy Speed’ and know nothing, when this is actually the remake of Shinkansen Daibakuha released in 1975, the movie that inspired Speed.”
Many viewers of Bullet Train Explosion trailer commented it was a rip-off of Speed starring Keanu Reeves – but other viewers were keen to correct them (Image: Netflix)
The star-studded cast of Bullet Train Explosion includes Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Kanata Hosoda, Non, Takumi Saitoh, Machiko Ono, Jun Kaname, and Hana Toyoshima.
Based on a screenplay by Kazuhiro Nakagawa and Norichika Oba, Bullet Train Explosion is produced by Episcope with Kota Ishizuka as producer and Kensei Mori as line producer.
Bullet Train Explosion is released on Wednesday, April 23 on .