a review of

Unlike the reviewers who spent the whole time talking about Speed instead, I think this plot actually makes more sense on a train than a bus for a variety of reasons. I think it's better to watch this as its own movie rather than thinking about Keanu the whole time. Besides, Sonny Chiba as the conductor, who is sweatier and tenser every time he shows up on screen, is quite good. They spend quite a bit of time explaining how the train system is smart to avoid accidents, automatically stopping the train as soon as an issue is detected, which works very well for the bomb gimmick. Near the beginning, there are also already several close calls with other trains on the line being unable to get out of the way. I enjoy the moments of passenger panic - pretty realistic that even after they are informed of the bomb situation, passengers keep trying to pull the emergency brake, insisting they have important things to attend to and who cares about any stinkin' bomb, I have a very important meeting. Some think the bomb is a hoax, but others just can't be bothered to find it a compelling reason to miss a business deal. The backstory of the bomb plot is quite good; instead of being some faceless criminals, Okita and the others are humanized a bit in their desperation. I was kind of cheering for them to get away with it at times. I loved all the closeups of instruments and systems that run the bullet trains and are supposed to keep them safe. I play synthesizers so any interfaces with knobs and dials are a bonus for me and make a movie better, and this has several rooms full of equipment, along with other '70s technology. Others may not share my enthusiasm, but a tense closeup on a touch screen is just never going to have the same weight to it to me. I wasn't bored to tears by the film's length, but by the end some of the obstacles that come up just as you think they have solved the problem are a little silly. I won't spoil it but the last couple of things had me going "Really??" They could have shortened it and removed one or two of the last minute catastrophes and kept the tension. The soundtrack is very jazzy and cool, has some great synth sounds (i am a big nerd okay) and this movie has one of the coolest intro stings I've seen as the opening credits appear fashionably late. It's a fun disaster movie.