The Bullet Train Blu-ray

Firstly, a massive thank you to our Patreon supporters. Your generosity touches me deeply. These supporters have become the single biggest contributing factor to the survival of DVDBeaver. Your assistance has become essential.

What do Patrons receive, that you don't?

1) Our weekly Newsletter sent to your Inbox every Monday morning!
2) Patron-only Silent Auctions - so far over 30 Out-of-Print titles have moved to deserved, appreciative, hands!
3) Access to over 50,000 unpublished screen captures in lossless high-resolution format!

Please consider keeping us in existence with a couple of dollars or more each month (your pocket change!) so we can continue to do our best in giving you timely, thorough reviews, calendar updates and detailed comparisons. Thank you very much.

Search DVDBeaver

S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Shinkansen daibakuha" or "Bullet Train" or "The Bullet Train" or "Super Express 109")

directed by Junya Sato
Japan 1975

The basis for the 1994 American hit, Speed, The Bullet Train (Shinkansen Daibakuha, 1975) stars the wonderful Ken Takakura (The Yakuza) as a mad bomber who plants a device on a high-speed Japanese train, programmed to detonate if the train’s speed drops below 80 kilometers per hour. His design: to collect a multi-million-dollar ransom. Also starring martial arts hero Sonny Chiba as the train’s clever engineer; directed by Junya Satô (The Silk Road).

***

A group of terrorists announce, that they have placed a speed-triggered bomb onboard a bullet train, which will explode if the train drops below a certain speed. Sonny Chiba has to save the day in a nail biting thriller, which not only predates "Speed" by over twenty years, but also is superior.

Henrik Sylow

A terrific central concept: a bomb is planted on one of Japan's 200 mph Shinkansen expresses, primed to explode as soon as the train slows to a certain speed. Savour it, because it's virtually all there is; the clumsy plotting, low-octane direction and muffled performances certainly don't add up to much of a movie. All that's required from Ken Takakura (as the chief bomber) is his presence, which he delivers adequately.

Excerpt from TimeOut located HERE

Poster

Theatrical Release: July 5th, 1975

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

Comparison:

Optimum (The Sonny China Collection Vol. 2) - Region 2 - PAL vs. Twilight Time - Region 'A' - Blu-ray vs. Eureka Classics - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Henrik Sylow for the DVD Review!

Box Covers
			BONUS CAPTURES: A Blu-ray is coming from Discotek Media in November 2023:
Distribution	Optimum Region 2 - PAL	Twilight Time Region 'A' - Blu-ray	Eureka Classics Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime	2:32:11	2:32:11.667	2:32:09.078
Video	2.28:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.44 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	Disc Size: 45,869,389,143 bytes Feature Size: 40,745,920,512 bytes Average Bitrate: 29.99 Mbps Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video	Disc Size: 48,509,495,739 bytes Feature Size: 32,411,115,072 bytes Average Bitrate: 24.97 Mbps Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Bitrate Twilight Time Blu-ray
Bitrate Eureka Blu-ray
Audio	2.0 Dolby Digital Japanese	DTS-HD Master Audio Japanese 1996 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1996 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Isolated Score: DTS-HD Master Audio English 1665 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1665 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)	LPCM Audio Japanese 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 320 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 320 kbps / DN -31dB
Subtitles	English, None	English, None	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Optimum Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.28:1 Edition Details: • Poster Gallery and trailers for following Optimum Chiba releases • The Killing Machine (2:53 / 16x9) • Street Fighter (2:52 / 16x9) • Return of Street Fighter (3:01 / 16x9) • Street Fighter's Last Revenge (2:55 / 16x9) • Yakuza Deka (2:41 / 16x9) • Yakuza Deka The Assassin (2:41 / 16x9) • Bullet Train (1:29 / 16x9) • G.I. Samurai (3:20 / 16x9) • Golgo 13 (3:04 / 16x9) • Biography (text) DVD Release Date: September 19, 2005 Keep Case Chapters 20	Release Information: Studio: Twilight Time Disc Size: 40,258,274,139 bytes Feature Size: 37,936,773,120 bytes Average Bitrate: 35.99 Mbps Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Isolated Music & Effects Track • Big Movie, Big Panic: Junya Sato on The Bullet Train (24:41) • Liner notes by Julie Kirgo Limited to 3,000 Copies! Blu-ray Release Date: December, 2016 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 24	Release Information: Studio: Eureka Classics Disc Size: 48,509,495,739 bytes Feature Size: 32,411,115,072 bytes Average Bitrate: 24.97 Mbps Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Brand new audio commentary by Jasper Sharp and Tom Mes • Brand new interview with author / critic Kim Newman (16:22) • Brand new interview with Tony Rayns (26:52) • "Big Movie, Big Panic: Junya Sato on The Bullet Train" archival featurette (24:41) • Off the Rails: Junya Sato’s biographers on the making of The Bullet Train – • Brand new interview with film writer Tatsuya Masuto and film critic Masaaki Nomura (20:12) • Trailers (3:06 / 1:30) PLUS: A limited edition collectors booklet featuring a new essay by film writer Barry Forshaw Blu-ray Release Date: April 24th, 2023 Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 15

Comments

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were obtained directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Eureka Classics Blu-ray - April 23': Eureka have transferred Jun'ya Satô's Bullet Train to Blu-ray. It is cited as being "from a 2K restoration of the original film elements". This 1080P looks quite different from the Twilight Time - despite the smaller bitrate, the image is sharper has richer contrast (more pure whites, deeper black levels) but the green cast seen on the DVD has returned and there is some heavy teal-leanings. It has a touch of gloss and pleasing texture. Regardless of the 'tealies' it is a notably superior image, imo.

NOTE: We have added 38 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

Eureka Classics use a linear PCM 2.0 channel track (only 16-bit) in the original Japanese and the train-related effects sound strong with subtle depth as does the disciplinary 'yelling'. The score is by Hachirô Aoyama - Bullet Train is the most notable of the 16 films he composed for. It supports the film well - flat with a demonstrative higher end. There are optional English subtitles and the Blu-ray disc is region 'B'-locked and limited to a First Print Run of 2000 copies.

Eureka really stack the package with supplements. There is a brand new audio commentary by Jasper Sharp and Tom Mes - co-authors of The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film. They discuss the locations, director Satô, Ken Takakura and the cast, the south-east Asian film market and many keen details on the production and Japanese cinema at the time. I found it very informative - great to have such experts commenting. There is also a new 1/4 hour interview with author / critic Kim Newman discussing 'bombers in cinema' with plenty of examples venturing to 'radicalization' and suicide bombers. There is also a 26-minute new interview with Tony Rayns discussing the shift from loyalty and chivalry genre films to hard-bitten real-style Yakuza-style efforts. He is always a pleasure to listen to. Off the Rails is a 20-minute video piece with Sato’s biographers, film writer Tatsuya Masuto and film critic Masaaki Nomura, on the making of The Bullet Train. Lastly is the repeated "Big Movie, Big Panic: Junya Sato on The Bullet Train" archival featurette running shy of 25-minutes. There are two trailers and the Blu-ray package has a limited edition collectors booklet featuring a new essay by film writer Barry Forshaw.

Jun'ya Satô's Bullet Train's inventive plot centers on a bomb that will explode automatically on the titular sabotaged high-acceleration train if the speed is decreased below 80 km/h - unless a ransom is paid. So police race to find the bombers as well as seeking to defuse the explosive device. A novelization of the film was written by Joseph Rance and Arei Kato, and released in 1980. The 1994 American action film Speed adopting a similar plot - but aboard a bus and 1985's Runaway Train starring Jon Voight were inspired by Jun'ya Satô film. Bullet Train also stars international sensation Shinichi Chiba (Sonny Chiba) known by many Western audiences by Christian Slater's character Clarence Worley in the Quentin Tarantino written True Romance as a fan of Chiba. The Eureka package is highly desirable - a new sharper transfer, excellent commentary and over and hour of new video extras (Kim Newman, Tony Rayns etc.) plus the booklet. The film and Blu-ray are strongly recommended!

Gary Tooze

***

ADDITION: Twilight Time Blu-ray - January 17': Firstly, this is not an error - this is a Region 'A'-locked Blu-ray from Twilight Time. Their new 1080P transfer of The Bullet Train is quite a leap beyond the 2005 PAL DVD. The visuals are significantly richer in color and contrast. The frame shows a bit less information on the right and bottom edges but notably more on the left edge. We lose the greenish cast of the DVD and the Twilight Time has the thick, heavy look that many 60s and 70s Japanese films do. It is consistent, clean, a shade dark, predominantly flat with some texture and gives a solid HD presentation. It is accurately in the film's 2.35:1 ToeiScope ratio.

Twilight Time use a DTS-HD Master stereo mix at 1996 kbps (24-bit) in the original Japanese and the train-related effects sound strong. There is an isolated music and effects track offred by Twilight Time. There are optional English subtitles and the Blu-ray disc is region 'A'-locked and limited to 3,000 copies.

NOTE: Both PAL DVD and Blu-ray have the same running time making me think that the DVD is a PAL-NTSC conversion. I detect no speed-up issues on the BD.

Aside from the isolated score option and the usual liner notes there is a 25-minute, Twilight Time produced, video piece - Big Movie, Big Panic: Junya Sato on The Bullet Train with the 84-year old director talking about the production.

Great film - lost to most western audiences and, as Henrik points out, significantly better than its 20-year later Hollywood remake. Great to have this in 1080P - absolutely recommended!

***

ON THE DVD (September 2005): Based on a new digital master from the original 35mm print, this is the first DVD release of the original 152 minute version. Colors are the original Japanese green-ish scheme and AR is almost its original 2.35:1 ToeiScope.

There is no PAL Speed-Up, but surprisingly no either ghosting or combing issues. The only points of critic is that the image is a bit soft and that colors blend a little. Compression artifacts are at a minimum. Overall a great transfer.

Part of the 3-disc "Sonny Chiba Collection Vol. 2", along with "G.I. Samurai" and "Golgo 13".

- Henrik Sylow

DVD Menus