A madman (Ken Takakura) plants a bomb on one of Japan's prestigioss Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo to Hakata, the Hikari 109. Threatening to blow it up unless his demands are met, if the train slows below 80km/h it will be destroyed. While the police try to track down the culprit, it's up to a heroic train conductor (Sonny Chiba) to find the bomb and disarm it in time...

Pre-dating "Speed" (and its Korean homage "Tube") by almost two decades, "Bullet Train" is gripping, edge of your seat thriller that as well as boasting blistering action sequences also focuses on the simmering political tensions between the civilians, the government and the surprisingly sympathetic bombers. Cult action star Sonny Chiba features as the train operator who must find the device and there's a characteristically stirring performance from Ken Takakura (dubbed the Japanese Clint Eastwood) as the bomber with a serious grudge.