Train thriller 96 Minutes on the right track, All Of You a struggling romance

The story: Bomb disposal expert Song Kang-ren (Austin Lin) is travelling from Taipei to Kaohsiung with his police detective fiancee (Vivian Sung) when alerted to an explosive on their bullet train. He has just 96 minutes until final destination to disarm the threat and confront a guilty secret from his past.

- Whang Yee Ling

Taiwanese cinema has been the home of art-house auteur Hou Hsiao-hsien and teen romcoms.

The thriller 96 Minutes is the industry's US$5 million (S$6.4 million) declaration of intent to crash the blockbuster disaster epic market, a creditable one by director Hung Tzu-hsuan (The Scoundrels, 2018). Already, it is 2025's third top-grossing local film in Taiwan.

A railway set was constructed on a sound stage for packing in the hundreds of panicky passengers. The real-time countdown has started: The bomb is rigged to blow up if the train stops, and defusing it will only trigger another.

Yes, there is another on board.

The mysterious criminal mastermind wants payback for Kang-ren's failure to save the victims of a double bombing tragedy three years earlier.

The story examines the impossible, even selfish, choices front liners are often forced into.