96 MINUTES (96 分钟) (2025)

Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Tzu-Hsuan Hung
Cast: Austin Lin, Vivian Sung, Wang Po-chieh, Lee-Zen Lee, Yao Yi Ti, Kent Tsai, Frederick Lee
Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Violence)
Released By: Golden Village
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 25 September 2025

Synopsis: Three years ago, during a night of typhoon, bomb disposal expert Song Kang-Ren had acted upon a threat in a cinema bombing. Proceeding without being instructed by commander Li Jie, he went single-handedly to the scene and successfully defused the device. But unknown to him, a second bomb hidden in a nearby department store exploded later on, resulting in mass casualties and over a hundred wounded. Though eulogized as a national hero, the immense guilt drove him to resign, and his wedding ceremony to his fiancée Huang Xin was indefinitely put on hold. Today, three years later, a memorial event reunites the past tragedy participants. Song, Huang Xin, and her mother board a southbound high-speed train—only to be caught in yet another bomb crisis. An explosive has been planted on the train, and with just 96 minutes before it reaches the final station, Song must cooperate with the police to stop disaster from striking once again. As time ticks away, buried truths from three years ago begin to resurface. The choices made back then are revealed to be the catalyst for the current threat. The bomber demands that a long-standing police cover-up is brought to light, and the identity of the actual mastermind slowly comes into focus. Faced with the lives of his family and hundreds of passengers, Song Kang-Ren must confront his ultimate regrets. Willing to sacrifice all that he has, he races against time to prevent another catastrophe—seeking redemption, and a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos.

Movie Review:

Already a box-office hit in Taiwan, 96 Minutes proves that a US$5 million disaster thriller doesn’t need to stick to its title length or real-time storytelling to keep audiences hooked. Why the film isn’t actually 96 minutes long is something you’ll discover along the way.

One of Taiwan’s hottest leading men, Austin Lin, takes on the role of A-Ren, a bomb disposal expert haunted by PTSD after failing to save innocent lives in a shopping mall bombing three years earlier. In the present day, the supposed mastermind believed to have died in that attack resurfaces with a chilling threat: two bullet trains racing from opposite directions are armed with explosives. Among the passengers caught in the crisis are A-Ren himself, his girlfriend Huang Xin (Vivian Sung), his former superior Li (Lee Lee-Zen) and even his mother.

The demand is brutally simple: A-Ren must reveal the truth about the mall bombing from three years ago or hundreds of terrified passengers will pay with their lives.

Billed as Taiwan’s first high-speed rail disaster thriller, 96 Minutes has the spectacle and scale of a Hollywood blockbuster with slick CGI and a pulse-pounding setup. For the first 30 minutes, it delivers exactly what it promises—a white-knuckle race against time, reminiscent of Speed (1994). How can A-Ren and Li possibly defuse a bomb on a bullet train that can’t be stopped without triggering catastrophe?

Unfortunately, the momentum begins to sputter as more characters enter the picture. A disgraced physics tutor, Liu Kai (Wang Po-chieh), whose family ties somehow intersect with the crisis, complicates matters further. Li carries secrets of his own, while A-Ren wrestles with crushing survivor’s guilt. And, as with most disaster thrillers, a handful of selfish and frustrating passengers are thrown in to test everyone’s patience including the audience’s.

At its core, 96 Minutes isn’t just about survival; it’s about confronting the ghosts of the past and navigating impossible moral dilemmas. Director and co-writer Hung Tzu-hsuan Kong deserves credit for avoiding a purely formulaic approach but the heavy emphasis on tears, guilt, and emotional baggage often weighs down what should have been a sharper, tighter thriller.

By the time the film reaches its climax, it feels at least 20 minutes too long—you may find yourself glancing at your watch, wondering whether the ordeal will, in fact, last 96 minutes or more. Still, there are bright spots: it’s refreshing to see Austin Lin and Vivian Sung step out of their usual comfort zones to play grittier, tougher roles and keen-eyed viewers may recognize Frederick Lee among the trapped passengers. Who he plays, though, is best left for you to discover in theaters.

Movie Rating:

(While it falters in sustaining tension over its two-hour runtime, 96 Minutes redeems itself with polished production values and a bold attempt to expand Taiwan’s genre filmmaking)

Review by Linus Tee