SYNOPSIS: Dan Morgan (Mark Wahlberg) loves his quiet suburban life as a devoted husband, father of three and successful car salesman. But that’s only half the story. Decades earlier, he was an elite government assassin tasked with eliminating the world’s deadliest threats. When enemies from his past track him down, Dan packs his unsuspecting wife (Michelle Monaghan), angsty teen daughter, pro-gamer teen son and adorable 10-month-old baby into their minivan and takes off on an impromptu cross-country road trip to Las Vegas. Determined to protect his family — while treating them to the vacation of a lifetime — Dan must put his long-dormant skills into action, without revealing his true identity.
MOVIE REVIEW:
This action comedy stars Mark Wahlberg as Dan Morgan, a former government assassin who has since settled down as a car salesman with a wife, Jessica (Michelle Monaghan), two squabbling teenagers and a baby boy. Dan’s domesticated, routine life is disrupted when a photo of him is uploaded to social media. And now his past associates are back to take him down and he has no choice but to lie to his entire family that they are going on a spontaneous trip to Vegas in order to escape the assailants.
The story is basically a rip-off of the much superior True Lies and the many pale imitations that follow such as The Pacifier and The Spy Next Door. In fact, it doesn’t take much to glue together a script that features a whole lot of familiar tropes.
However, The Family Plan turns out to be yes, over bloated yet entertaining enough for a few laughs and decent action sequences.
Although Wahlberg is the star here, he often gets overshadowed by Monaghan who genuinely displayed a sense of gung-ho-ness to the entire ordeal instead of being a forgettable token female lead. She gets to play the cool mom and gets to fight the villain in the final act. Wahlberg is decent as the action hero but he needs a comedian co-star liked Will Ferrell or Ted the teddy bear to bring out the chuckles. You know taco Wednesday and scheduled sex on Thursday are not exactly rib-tickling stuff. Irish actor Ciaran Hinds and Maggie Q shows up predictably as the baddies with the latter offering some need be kick-ass action.
The Family Plan marks British television director Simon Cellan Jones’ first feature movie and he throws in a couple of car chases, physical confrontations and stuntwork that are at least impressive than the average Skydance productions. The only thing holding it back is the bulk of screentime which is dedicated to the family drama involving the two teens despite some well-meaning messages on cutting down on phone usage and the importance of family communication.
Like many other prior Skydance’s straight-to-streaming productions (6 Underground, Ghosted, Heart of Stone), The Family Plan fairs no better except it’s yet another glossy, empty title like the next generation iPhone which the movie proudly endorsed.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: From Zack Snyder, the filmmaker behind 300, Man of Steel, and Army of the Dead, comes REBEL MOON, a 2-part movie event decades in the making. After crash landing on a moon in the furthest reaches of the universe, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a stranger with a mysterious past, begins a new life among a peaceful settlement of farmers. But she soon becomes their only hope for survival when the tyrannical Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee) and his cruel emissary, Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein), discover the farmers have unwittingly sold their crops to the Bloodaxes (Cleopatra Coleman and Ray Fisher) — leaders of a fierce group of insurgents hunted by the Motherworld. Tasked with finding fighters who would risk their lives to defend the people of Veldt, Kora and Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), a tenderhearted farmer naive in the realities of war, journey to different worlds in search of the Bloodaxes, and assemble a small band of warriors who share a common need for redemption along the way: Kai (Charlie Hunnam), a pilot and gun for hire; General Titus (Djimon Hounsou), a legendary commander; Nemesis (Doona Bae), a master swordswoman; Tarak (Staz Nair), a captive with a regal past; and Milius (E. Duffy), a resistance fighter. Back on Veldt, Jimmy (voiced by Anthony Hopkins), an ancient mechanized protector hiding in the wings, awakens with a new purpose. But the newly formed revolutionaries must learn to trust each other and fight as one before the armies of the Motherworld come to destroy them all.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Rebel Moon-Part One: Child of Fire is initially Zack Synder’s idea for a new Star Wars movie but it got turned down by Lucasfilm. Since ideas never die in Hollywood, Netflix came to the rescue and dumped in the moolah to bring Synder’s vision to the small screen.
Right from the tedious voiceover by Anthony Hopkins (also voicing a former army fighting droid, Jimmy), we more or less know Rebel Moon is a copycat version of Star Wars: A New Hope where the galaxy is ruled by a militaristic empire named the Motherworld under the evil Balisarius (Fra Free). His forces are led by a ruthless Admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein) and they aim to rid the galaxy of any rebels.
Noble’s next target is the planet of Veldt where he forces the farming village to sell him grain. In the end, the treacherous methods employed by Noble and his men ignite the fire in a dispirited, ex-elite military soldier, Kora (Sofia Boutella) who then decides to recruit a bunch of warriors to fight against Noble and his invading army.
So what follows is a prolonged recruitment exercise where an ex-Prince, Tarak (Staz Nair), a swordswoman, Nemesis (Donna Bae), a rebel warrior, Bloodaxe (Ray Fisher), a fallen General (Djimon Hounsou) and smuggler, Kai (Charlie Hunnam) is persuaded by Kora and the village’s head farmer, Gunnar (Michiel Huisman) to fight against the Motherland.
Unfortunately, despite the numerous colourful characters assembled, there isn’t a lot we know of the motley crew, their abilities and their motivations for joining the rebellion. Most of the screentime is devoted to backstories of Kora and the old empire led by a benevolent King and his Princess Isa who was supposedly believe to have the power to unite the galaxy. It’s like Synder trying his very best to map out the entire universe timelines and happenings and explaining them to the audiences.
By doing so, Synder forgot the need to tell a compelling story. The characters are mostly one dimensional and dull. Even Kora doesn’t seem to be that interesting for a lead character. Hunnam attempts to be the next Han Solo but the narrative fails to play on that dynamics. There’s little to Huisman’s character as he might eventually just end up as Kora’s token love interest. Djimon Hounsou and Donna Bae are mostly wasted here as the climactic battle involves mainly Kora and Noble.
On the other hand, if you are a big fan of Synder’s trademark visuals and slow-mo, there’s plenty to savour in Rebel Moon. Clearly, the man has incorporated several ideas from anime, fantasy pop-cultures and mythology into the movie. It’s visually stunning with impressive creature effects and vast planets (though the various starships design are indistinguishable) to behold except the action stuntwork seems poorly handled and choppy. The CGI for the most part is distracting as it ranges from superb to mediocre to poor.
Netflix and Synder has since released the trailer for Part two and a longer, R-rated cut is apparently in the pipeline. Rebel Moon-Part One: Child of Fire isn’t a bad commercial movie nor is it a good one. You are left wondering if Synder’s so-called world-building, sci-fi opera epic literally needs more streaming hours to justify its presence. Maybe we need to learn more about the General or the mysterious Swordswoman. Or why Kora abandons her post and her “father”. Maybe tell me more why Nobel ended up in the same predicament as Darth Vader. As a standalone, “original” sci-fi adventure, Rebel Moon-Part One is merely passable.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
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THE GOLDFINGER (金手指) Press ConferencePosted on 25 Dec 2023 |
Genre: Drama/Crime
Director: Chen Zhuo
Cast: Greg Hsu, Ning Chang, Kara Wai, Andrew Yin
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures and Clover Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 14 December 2023
Synopsis: Young and beautiful entrepreneur Joanna is accused of being the culprit in a locked-room murder case, where the victim is her lover Minghao, during a time when her life and career are flourishing. In order to clear her name, she slowly gathers clues with the police officer Zheng Wei. As they investigate the case together, they discover another murder case that Joanna and Minghao had committed together. The truth gradually comes to light...
Movie Review:
In 2016, a Spanish movie about a young businessman who is accused of murder, and has less than three hours to figure out what happened with his hired prestigious lawyer was released. It received lukewarm response in its home country, but surprisingly made a killing in the international market when it was released in China the following year. It is no wonder then, that the green light was given for the Chinese remake of the mystery thriller. It is also notable that the original movie directed by Oriol Paulo has previously been remade in Italy, India and Korea.
Chen Zhuo, who made his mark in the industry when his debut film Song Of Silence was recognised with the Firebird Award for Best Feature in the Young Cinema section of 2012’s Hong Kong International Film Festival, is responsible for translating the original version for the Chinese audiences. Backed by Chinese streamer iQiyi, the movie features a star studded lineup with Taiwan’s Greg Hsu and Ning Chang, Hong Kong’s Kara Wai and China’s Andrew Yin headlining the movie.
The movie opens with the murder of an architect (Yin) in a hotel room. The case has led to complications in the political scene, as the suspect (Chang) is the wife of a wealthy and powerful businessman who controls the finances of the unnamed Southeast Asian country (we are seeing a trend here with other Mainland Chinese productions like the recent Lost In The Stars and Last Suspect) the story is set in.
A greedy police chief (Hsu) shows up at the suspect’s doorsteps and convinces her to tell the truth behind the crime, convincing her that he can prove her innocence if she pays him a huge some of reward. Through the flashbacks, it is revealed that there is another missing person in this complicated case, and his wife (Wai) is desperately trying to locate him.
The movie goes to and fro in an attempt to confuse viewers with its supposedly twisty plot. One moment, the suspect is a vulnerable woman who is forced to witness a terrible crime, and the next moment, she is a scheming femme fatale with what she thought was a perfect plan to get away with murder. Did the architect deserve to die? You first see him depicted as a man with anger management issues, then in another version, he is someone who is suffering from depression and is terribly sorry for causing a family’s loss. Elsewhere, the police chief is also a suspicious character – what does he exactly want with his ever changing deductions of what really happened? And is the grieving woman who lost her husband truly sympathetic?
Throughout the 106 minute runtime, audiences would be thrown around the different narratives. This means that the same scenario would be replayed from different perspectives, and logic will be repeatedly thrown out of the window. You may also be distracted by the competent performances of the four leads. But if you pay close attention, you may just figure out the motives of the various characters early in the film. And with this being a Mainland Chinese production, you can be sure the bad guy will not be able to escape the long arm of the law at the end of the day.
Movie Rating:
(This Chinese remake of a Spanish crime thriller features competent performances and enough twists and turns to keep you in your seat)
Review by John Li
SYNOPSIS: When a mysterious corpse is found in a river, a distressed police officer delves into a string of grisly murders as danger quickly approaches.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Deputy police officer Wu Chieh (Janine Chang) is on the brink of killing herself after her depression-suffering partner commits suicide. But her attempt is thwarted by a group of teenagers who stumbled upon a dead body. Shortly, together with a rookie (Chloe Xiang), she is assigned to the case by her Captain.
The victim turned out to be a runaway migrant worker with her finger missing and body mutilated. Subsequent clues point them to You-sheng (Ethan Juan), a grocery shop owner who doubles up as a middleman for runaway illegal migrant workers.
The mystery deepens when You-sheng helps to bury a corpse and his best friend, a taxi driver is suspected to be involved in the killing spree. Who is the real killer here and what is the motive behind the murders?
Similar to the acclaimed Netflix series, Port of Lies which starred Christopher Lee as a unconventional prosecutor, The Abandoned also touches on the plight of migrant workers in Taiwan instead of just another disturbing serial killer movie. While of course this is not a documentary on runaway migrant workers, it marks for an interesting look at a country not known for employing migrant workers in the past.
The narrative mostly divides its time between Chieh and You-sheng, each fighting their own inner demons in addition to solving the increasing cases of migrant workers being mercilessly murdered. Chieh is guilt-ridden for not paying attention to her suffering future spouse and she wants to join him in the after-life if not for the appearance of this horrifying case. You-sheng on the other hand wants to lay his hands on the culprit for killing his ex-girlfriend.
The process is more than compelling enough throughout and no doubt director Tseng Ying-ting and the cinematographers did an excellent job crafting the mounting tension and atmosphere. The crime thriller successfully delivers a few heart-pounding chases and the finale is treated with a good measure of brutality and disturbances to bring a closure to the case.
For a crime flick which runs less than two hours, The Abandoned packs enough suspense and superb character driven performances from Chang and Juan. Definitely a good start to 2024.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: From the director of TILL WE MEET AGAIN (2021), Giddens Ko returns with another whimsical love story adapted from his short story novel Precisely Out of Control. Starring award-winning actress Vivian Sung (NINA WU, 2019), musician/rapper Daniel Hong, and Kai Ko (MONEYBOY, 2021), with their captivating performance in this romantic comedy MISS SHAMPOO, it will amplify your love potion and get ready to fall in love all over again. In a hair salon located in an alley, apprentice Fen practices day and night in the hope of becoming a fully-fledged hairdresser soon. On a stormy night, Tai, a wounded gang boss, rushes into the salon to hide from his rival. With Fen’s help, Tai manages to escape. Smitten by Fen and to repay her kindness, Tai brings his underlings to have their hair cut in the salon and passionately pursues Fen. When Fen and Tai, who come from such different backgrounds, gradually come to understand each other and fall in love, Tai’s rival shows up and challenges Tai. Could the couple work together to overcome the difficulties and start a new life?
MOVIE REVIEW:
The multi-hyphenate filmmaker, Giddens Ko (from You Are the Apple of My Eye) returns with his unique brand of humour and storytelling in Miss Shampoo.
Adapted from one of his short stories, Miss Shampoo tells the tale of how a triad gangster, Tai (Daniel Hong) falls madly in love with a hairdresser apprentice, Fen (Vivian Sung) after she saves him from a group of assassins.
With the support from his fellow followers or “brothers” as Tai prefers to call them, the latter begins to woo Fen despite her declaring she has an undergraduate boyfriend. Despite her less than impressive hairdressing skills, Tai forces or “introduces” his fellow gang members as clients to Fen.
But will this pair of unlikely duo ended up together in this familiar romantic affair?
While the prologue showcases a violent bloody affair involving Tai’s boss being murdered by a group of Thai assailants, the rest of the movie that follows is a light-hearted, occasional raunchy rom-com that has Tai doing all sorts of crazy gimmicks to win over Fen including seeking the approval of Fen’s family members to have sex with her.
If you are familiar with Giddens Ko’s stuff, you wouldn’t be too surprise by all his madcap, nonsensical humour and ultra-silly gags and tropes. However, Miss Shampoo spends so much time on the budding romance between Tai and Fen that the brewing intense triad rivalry between the various parties becomes much of an afterthought after the explosive opening.
One of Giddens’ frequent collaborator, Kai Ko also appears as Tai’s right hand man, Bryan who feels as a leader, Tai is not doing a good job leading the men. There is a much more interesting angle to the character of Bryan but unfortunately, his screen time is sacrificed for the love story. Adding insult to injury, there’s a last minute insertion of a backstory that tells of Tai’s past friendship with a national baseball player.
To be honest, Giddens Ko packs a bit too much to the narrative that it comes off neither satisfactory as a romantic comedy nor a revenge mafia story. Vivian Sung of course is likeable as the unconventional female lead. Newcomer Daniel Hong is both tough and fumbling as the “big brother” if only the story is as fulfilling as Ko’s last hit, Till We Meet Again.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
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LEE SUN-KYUN (이선균) (1975 - 2023)Posted on 27 Dec 2023 |
SYNOPSIS: Based on a single chilling chapter from Bram Stoker’s classic novel Dracula, The Last Voyage of the Demeter tells the terrifying story of the merchant ship Demeter, which was chartered to carry private cargo—fifty unmarked wooden crates—from Carpathia to London. Strange events befall the doomed crew as they attempt to survive the ocean voyage, stalked each night by a merciless presence onboard the ship. When the Demeter finally arrives off the shores of England, it is a charred, derelict wreck. There is no trace of the crew.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Based on a chapter from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, Dracula, The Last Voyage of the Demeter tells the story of the cursed merchant ship which was supposed to deliver some unmarked wooden crates from Transylvania to London.
Saved for the prologue whereby a Cambridge graduated doctor named Clemens (Corey Hawkins) is being recruited on the ill-fated journey, the horror is set entirely on the large ship making it the ideal location for a claustrophobic, terrifying experience. The crew consists mainly of Captain Elliot (Liam Cunningham), his grandson Toby (Woody Norman) and his faithful dog, Quartermaster Wojchek (David Dastmalchian) and several others including a cook, a Russian and a gypsy.
Shortly after, the livestock on ship and Toby’s furkid are all found dead under mysterious circumstances. A young stowaway named Anna (Aisling Francis) escaped from one of the wooden crates and warned the crew of the creature that feeds on human blood sending the crew into a frenzy as more deaths happened as the nights go.
Kudos to director Andre Ovredal (Scary Stories to tell in the Dark), The Last Voyage of the Demeter is an old-school horror affair that relies on mood, cinematography to sell the impending terror than simplistic gore and blood-curdling screams. Indeed, there’s a few moments of intense kills and bloody neck munching from the creature known as Dracula but it never reaches the intense level of modern horror cinema.
The Dracula presented here is not some English gentleman dressed in tuxedo and cape. In fact, the monster is more of a flying bat than a man in most instances. He lurks in the darkness of the hull, he lures his victims and sucks out their blood and ruthlessly ends their lives under the scorching sun.
As for the cast, Hawkins shines as the man who believes in science and reason but nevertheless joins in the hunt when he is the last man standing. There’s also an interesting, thought-provoking detail in the movie that depicts his struggles as a Black man. Cunningham and Dastmalchian has a few worthy, impressive onscreen moments especially the former who has a heart-wrenching scene while Aisling Francis gets to kick some serious Dracula ass in the climax.
It’s a huge pity The Last Voyage of the Demeter didn’t turned up to be a hit. Perhaps it’s the slow-burn, the lack of bloody kills and the lack of jump scares that fails to pull in the audiences. Personally, this is one of the best executed, handsomely produced horror flick based on a classic horror character (not from an ongoing horror franchise) we have seen in years.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Crime/Comedy
Director: Albert Mak
Cast: Aaron Kwok, Lam Ka Tung, Richie Jenn, Cheung Ho Yee, Lam Suet, John Chiang, Loi Hoi-pang, Nina Paw, Nancy Wu, Michael Wong, Paulyn Sun, Calvert Fu, Leung Chung-hang, John Chiang, Jr
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Violence)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 8 February 2024
Synopsis: Two perplexed middle-aged losers, Robby (LAM Ka Tung) and Fai (Richie JEN) are good friends. Fai is an honest man. His wife left him with an elderly home business. Fai has tried very hard to keep it running until the owner increases the rent crustily. Taxi driver Robby, who is timid and unreliable, always neglects the conflicts between his mother and his wife. Robby always lives paycheck to paycheck without a financial plan, so he is at a loss what to do. Two robberies involving the money exchange stores across the street encourage Robby and Fai to get a gun and rob the same. It is a destiny to meet the ruthless bandit Mui (Aaron KWOK), who acts wicked, scheming and chivalrous.
Movie Review:
Even before you watch the movie, a bucktoothed Aaron Kwok is going to first capture your attention regardless from the poster or promotional trailers, a far cry from his usual suave, charming self. Yes, the Heavenly King might be known for his good looks and slick dance moves but in Rob N Roll, his performance as a robber and professional wrestler from a certain Southeast Asian country will leave you gasping for more.
Kwok plays Brother Tin, a vicious robber who tries to escape the police after a major heist in temple street. Unfortunately, his henchman lost a bag of loot after encountering some patrol policemen. The bag of money happens to land inside the boot of a taxi belonging to Robby (Gordon Lam), a down-and-out taxi driver who has a long list of financial and domestic issues.
Before that, Robby’s buddy, Fai (Richie Jen) approached him to stage a robbery in order to raise money for his debt-ridden nursing home. And thus the two buddies ended up trying to buy a gun from a bumbling man played by Lam Suet. Tin on the other hand has to find the loot in order to repay his debts to a middleman nicknamed Uncle Shrimp (veteran John Chiang). While the whole fiasco is going on, a tough policewoman (Maggie Cheung Ho-yee) and her partner is hot on the heels of Tin.
Despite the overly busy narrative and numerous characters, assistant director turned director Albert Mak manages to keep things flowing seamlessly and thoroughly engaging. It’s not just a simple plot of retrieving some missing stolen cash or a brotherly love affair between Robby and Fai or a rousing action police and robbers flick. The truth happens to be all of the above, nicely packaged and packed in an efficient 98 minutes.
Liked a generous Santa Claus, the screenplay keeps on giving. There’s also a money exchange robber who gets embroiled in the cash grab scheme and Charcoal (played by Michael Wong), a triad boss who gets his finger shot off in a genuinely funny scene.
But nothing can take away the presence of Kwok who commands the screen with his portrayal of the quirky yet ruthless robber. Brother Tin will always expect everyone to say thanks to him and he lives by his code of not letting his buddy suffer if the latter gets shot. These little oddities gave Tin a loveable, memorable edge over the typical villain. Not forgetting the guy has a tragic backstory as well.
In all fairness, Gordon Lam and Richie Jen has their moments as two squabbling buddies struggling to live in the pressurised society. Perhaps there is an eagerness to drop in some social awareness of the poor and suffering but the story keeps falling back to Tin and the two unfortunate friends. Don’t get us wrong though, it’s a good thing by the way.
Strictly speaking, Rob N Roll is not an action flick though it has an explosive, gun-toting prologue. It reminds one of an old Johnny To’s flick with the various, wacky characters but Mak and his screenwriters have no intention to mimic the master filmmaker. On the contrary, this is certainly an exhilarating update to the formulaic Hong Kong Cinema with its excellent casting and storytelling.
Movie Rating:
(With a top-notch performance by Aaron Kwok, Rob N Roll is an enjoyable dark comedy with some guns and robber elements thrown in)
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: An urgent phone call comes in to the bullet train general control center. The caller says that a bomb has been planted on the Hayabusa No. 60 bullet train heading toward Tokyo, and that it will explode as soon as its speed goes below 100 kilometers per hour. The criminal demands 100 billion yen in exchange for deactivating the bomb, forcing the railway workers into a desperate race against time as they struggle to prevent an explosion. Will the Hayabusa No. 60 be able to avert this disaster as it hurtles down the tracks?
MOVIE REVIEW:
We’ve not seen the classic 1975 Ken Takakura/ Sonny Chiba disaster movie on which this was based; but we suspect that many viewers wouldn’t have either. Still, familiarity is absolutely not necessary to enjoy this high-wire action thriller with a very simple premise at its core – what if there were not just one but several bombs planted on a Shinkansen, that would go off if its speed dropped below 100 kilometers per hour?
After reviving similar Japanese classics with ‘Shin Godzilla’ and ‘Shin Ultraman’, animator-turned-director Shinji Higuchi trains his sights on ‘The Bullet Train’, and largely pulls off a nail-biting masterclass in tension and suspense from start to finish. The train in question is a E5 Series Shinkansen running the Hayabusa 60 (5060B), bound from Shin-Aomori on Honshu island to Tokyo; and not long after it has departed, an anonymous caller phones into the JR East Headquarters to convey the threat, proving his or her seriousness by blowing up a freight train at Aomori-Higashi.
Right off the bat, it is clear that Higuchi intends for his movie to be as authentic as possible; and it is impressive to see what he has pulled off from his unprecedented access to JR East trains and facilities. From the trains themselves, to the control room of the JR East operations, and right down to the rolling stock centres, Higuchi makes use of each of these to give us an inside look at what contingencies and possibilities could arise should such a nightmare scenario indeed come to pass.
In turn, besides highlighting the best and worst of human behaviour during such crises, Higuchi also emphasises the professionalism, dedication and ingenuity of the JR East staff. That is primarily illustrated through Takaichi (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi), the head manager of the Hayabusa 60 on board the locomotive, and Kasagi (Takumi Sitoh), the general manager for JR East within the ops room. Together, they engineer three key points of intervention – first, to avoid a southbound train stalled at Morioka due to a bird strike; second, to mount a rescue attempt using another Shinkansen to link up with the 5060B from the rear; and third, to save the remaining passengers while avoiding the 5060B from reaching Tokyo Station and causing even more massive damage at the city centre.
Each of these are carefully choreographed set-pieces in and of themselves, switching between multiple points of view to give us a first-hand look at the players involved, the coordination needed and the stakes at risk. Within the control room, there is some shade thrown at government bureaucracy, represented by the presence of the advisor to the Prime Minister whose calculations are highly political; and on board the train, there is good use of a millionaire influencer Todoroki (Jun Kaname), who takes matters into his own hands when the Government refuses to crowdsource the ¥100 billion goal that the terrorist demands, as well as disgraced politician Kagami (Machiko Ono), who initially sees the occasion through her own political lens but eventually rises to the occasion as a leader.
We won’t spoil the surprise just who the caller is – suffice to say that if there is a weak link in the whole movie, this is probably it, because it does require a huge suspension of disbelief to think that someone like that could pull off such a stunt, even if said person had tutelage from a demolition expert. To be fair, Higushi and his screenwriters Kazuhiro Nakagawa and Norichika Ōba try their level best to make it convincing, but it is frankly a stretch that not even a Shinkansen travelling at that speed can overcome with confidence.
Still, as disaster thrillers go, ‘Bullet Train Explosion’ is a tense, thrilling affair that reminds you of the best of the genre. It offers the sort of edge of your seat action which defines such blockbusters, while keeping its focus on both the bureaucracy and humanity of the larger-than-life situation. At more than two hours, it could certainly be much tighter than it is, but the beauty of Netflix is you can pace yourself out if you do need an intermission; and even if it isn’t on the big screen per se, we dare say this is one of the biggest real-life Japanese movie you’ll get to see in recent memory..
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Gabriel Chong
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