Review: BULLET TRAIN was released at the peak of the disaster movie genre. Even though Irwin Allen produced most of the classics, some very important disaster films came both from other Hollywood producers and from abroad.

In the seventies, technical progress reached its peak and suddenly terrorists started turning it against societies that had the strongest technological basis. On the other hand, despite the progress, humanity was still vulnerable and still had to go a long way to tame nature. This is why disaster films revolved both about huge jet disasters and volcanoes, swarms of killer bees or earthquakes.

Disaster movies relied on these two omnipresent fears of the seventies. Of course, producers like Irwin Allen had an agenda of their own. Such stories possessed the instant drama, already defined event nature and each one tried to simulate the formula of huge ensemble pics like GRAND HOTEL. But then, GRAND HOTEL was the project of Irving G. Thalberg who worked himself to death, and disaster movie formula also worked itself to demented and painful death. As Hollywood bloomed in the seventies with an influx of new and talented directors, disaster films remained huge toys managed by the studio brass.

Italians and Japanese, and even Soviets, took over the formula, as always, and came up with their own plot to take over the world. Japanese managed to create a couple of classics including Kinji Fukasaku`s VIRUS which resonated quite strongly a few years ago when the SARS epidemic hit Asia and Canada. Soviets focused on their own fears, like potential subway disasters while Italians kept things within the Euro-pudding co-production realm.

Japanese had a strong tradition of Kaiju movies which had a strong disaster feel to them, and also had a disturbing experience with untamed nature, with earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes. Even the biggest single aircraft accident happened to a Japanese Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet.

BULLET TRAIN is one of the disaster film classics and it was blatantly ripped-off by Jan De Bont`s SPEED which launched a short lived career for writer Graham Yost who was hailed as an inventor of this successful concept. However, in hindsight, SPEED is a far superior film to BULLET RAIN and it holds quite strongly in comparison. So sadly, your hipness stops with noting that SPEED ripped BULLET TRAIN. It`s a bit of a stretch to claim that BULLET TRAIN is better than SPEED.

BULLET TRAIN is derived form the tradition of vehicular suspense thrillers along the lines of George Henri Cluzot`s WAGES OF FEAR (later remade as SORCERER by William Friedkin). And then Junya Sato simply blew up this mechanism to the size of a disaster film through excessive length and an All-Star cast. BULLET TRAIN is a very interesting case study from the screenwriting point of view since it clocks at 152 minutes but it is not vast in scope. The West was exposed to a much shorter print. If it was cut smartly, I believe that it would be a preferred cut. BULLET TRAIN is basically not wider in scope than SPEED which clocks at 116 minutes. However, SPEED is a high-octane action thriller in the DIE HARD vein where installments clock at around 130 minutes. This is why BULLET TRAIN is ideal for DVD consumption since the film gains momentum when replayed in an accelerated mode. You may not hear a thing, but 2x is the ideal pace for this one.

Otherwise, BULLET TRAIN is just a footnote in the history of disaster film genre. It is of significance for hipsters who will relish in how SPEED ripped it off.

Technical credits are up there with the Hollywood achievements if the time, constantly reminding us how international cinema used to be able to catch up with Hollywood technology. It was released in 1975 which is one of the crucial years in the history of commercial cinema. In FRENCH CONNECTION William Friedkin raised the bar in terms of integration of action and art while JAWS killed the B-movie by taking a B-plot and turning it into a major blockbuster. This is when international commercial cinema got confined in a ghetto. But then in 1975 BULLET TRAIN was on par with American blockbusters.

If you`re into train disaster action pick up George Pan Cosmatos` CASSANDRA`S CROSSING. If you`re into being smart just note SPEED ripped-off BULLET TRAIN. Rent it if you`re a disaster film completist.