In 96 Minutes, Taiwanese stars Austin Lin and Vivian Sung make their disaster action movie debut by playing a police couple out to stop a train with a bomb onboard

Their flicks usually deliver the giggles and feels, but their new project is set to bring the thrills.

- Benson Ang

Their flicks usually deliver the giggles and feels, but their new project is set to bring the thrills. Taiwanese actors Austin Lin and Vivian Sung have helmed some of Taiwan's biggest romance and comedy films, such as Marry My Dead Body (2022), Till We Meet Again (2021) and Our Times (2015).

But the suspense-filled 96 Minutes is a different beast. Opening in Singapore on Sept 25, the disaster action thriller revolves around a high-speed train moving from Taipei to Kaohsiung with a bomb on it. Its title comes from the travelling time between the two cities.

Lin plays a bomb disposal expert, while Sung portrays his wife, a fellow cop. Speaking to The Straits Times in a Zoom call from Taipei, they shared the challenges they faced in a genre they were not accustomed to.

For both stars, 96 Minutes marks their disaster action movie debut, but they also knew when to take it easy when the cameras stopped rolling.

Lin, 37, said: "During breaks, we would eat snacks and talk rubbish. Because the movie is already very tense, letting loose helps us return to ourselves, which in turn lets us get back in character when needed again (more easily)."