The latest David Leitch action film Bullet Train is about to hit cinemas and it looks like it’s going to be a fun time at the theater. Brad Pitt, Joey King, Zazie Beets, and many others play operatives on a bullet train and are tasked with finding a briefcase but no one seems to know what is in it. What follows is a fun and colorful action film that looks to be a lot of fun. If we’re going to be prepared for this wild ride then we should watch some other high-octane adventure films. Let’s rundown some movies to watch before Bullet Train.
Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia star as two New York cops that arrest a member of the Yakuza and are ordered to escort him back to Japan. Once they arrive, he is unknowingly handed over to members of the Japanese Mafia. They stay in Japan to try to find him all while realizing they understand nothing of how the Japanese Underworld works in this country. It’s a great ‘fish out of water’ action movie to watch before Bullet Train.
Steven Segal has proven to be a controversial figure but you can’t deny that some of his early action films are still a lot of fun to watch. The first Under Siege gets all the love but there’s a lot to like in its sequel. Casey Ryback is trying to take a nice vacation with his niece when the train he’s on gets taken over by terrorists. They want to steal a highly classified US satellite but need to use the train as their moving headquarters. Segal has to dispatch the terrorists as only he knows how. Another one in the ‘Die Hard on a . . . ‘ series of rip-off films of the time but still worth watching.
So most of this film isn’t on a train, but the fight between Doc Ock and Spider-Man on top of the train is so good that it makes the list. Heralded as the best superhero movie of all time before the MCU was even a consideration, this film has everything you want. The train scene in particular is a great set piece as the fast-moving train through New York makes it feel even more dangerous than an eight-armed super villain would already be. Doc may end up winning the battle by underhanded tactics, but he wouldn’t win the war. By the end of the scene, a train full of people see Spidey’s secret identity but hey, New Yorkers watch out for each other and no one spills the beans.
This classic murder mystery has one of the best casts one could hope for. Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery, Anthony Perkins, and too many more to get into. Someone has killed a passenger on the train and it’s up to Hercule Poirot to figure out who it was. There have been a lot of adaptations of this Agathie Christie novel but beats the original.
Everyone’s favorite mutant heads to Japan to meet with an old friend that he saved during World War II. The dying man tells Logan that he can get rid of his healing factor so that he can finally start to age and die. While Wolverine turns down the offer he gets pulled into problems with the old man’s daughter and the Yakuza. It features a pretty cool fight on top of a bullet train that features Yakuza members flying all over the place as Logan picks them off. If you haven’t watched it in a while, give it another shot. The movie is a great turn for the character that had just come off of X-Men: The Last Stand. Worth your time.
Christoper Lambert is an American businessman in Japan. He meets a young woman, and she takes him back up to her room. There he sees her get assassinated by a group of ninjas and sees the boss’ face. He ends up on the run as the deranged cult of ninjas seeks to take him out. There are some action scenes on a bullet train as well and it’s all just fantastic. For sure a movie you should watch before Bullet Train as it has all of the same elements.
Alright, I admit this one is just ridiculous. Scott Lang gets a hold of a suit that lets him shrink really small and talk to ants. Why it’s important in this list is because of the scene where Lang and Darren Cross have a giant battle on a toy railroad set. What makes it terrifying is that the engine of the train happens to be the kid show staple Thomas The Tank Engine. (a show that’s very important to the Bullet Train plot oddly enough) That giant face looming over them as they fight can give anyone nightmares.
In a future where climate change has killed off everything on the face of the Earth, a group of survivors live on a constantly running train that circles the globe. Within this train, a class system has emerged as the poorer people live towards the back of the train and the wealthy and powerful live at the front. A revolution is breaking out and a group begins to fight their way to the front of the train. Each section of the train shows just how different life is for everyone on board. An interesting idea that started out as a comic book and turned into a TV show after this film came out.
Aboard a bullet train, a zombie outbreak happens. Everyone must fight off the infected as the train speeds forward. Seok-woo is aboard with his daughter and must to anything he can to protect her from the zombie hoard and also other nefarious passengers who may want to use her as a way out. A great, action-filled, zombie movie that I watched on a train from New Orleans to Chicago. No lie. It was a completely immersive experience. Highly recommend as a movie to watch before Bullet Train.
This Sonny Chiba film predates Speed by almost 20 years but has a very similar plot line. Criminals plant a bomb aboard a commuter train in Japan. If the train slows down below a certain speed, it will explode. They are looking for a ransom but police are trying to identify the bombers while also finding out how to defuse the bomb. A great 70s suspense film out of Japan.
What movies are you watching before Bullet Train? Let us know in the comments.