96 Minutes Review: Hung Tzu-hsuan's Runaway Train Thriller

This 96 Minutes review starts with a simple promise: a high-speed train, a bomb and a ride nobody can leave. Hung Tzu-hsuan's Taiwanese action crime thriller leans on that tight setting to build pressure. It does not always get the balance right, but it delivers enough tension to keep you watching.

The film runs 117 minutes, which makes its title a playful nod to the ticking clock rather than the real running time. It opened on 5 September 2025.

96 Minutes Review: The Story So Far (No Spoilers)

The 96 Minutes plot begins with Song Kang Ren, a former bomb disposal expert, travelling by high-speed train with his fiancée, Huang Xin. It should be an ordinary trip. Then a bomb is discovered on the train, and a skill he thought he had left behind becomes the one thing everyone needs.

A second storyline runs alongside. A well-known physics teacher, whose career has been dented by an affair scandal, boards the same train in a bid to win back his wife. His personal crisis seems small next to a bomb, which is part of what makes the setup interesting.

The film keeps its first act clean and quick. It introduces the main passengers, sets the stakes and starts the countdown without wasting much time. If you want more of this kind of pulse-raising fare, browse our action movie reviews.

What Works in 96 Minutes

The setting is the biggest asset. A speeding train is a closed box, and the filmmakers use the corridors, carriages and tight spaces to create a steady sense of being trapped. There is nowhere to run, which suits a bomb story well.

• A strong premise: the mix of disaster thriller and personal drama gives the film more to chew on than a standard countdown plot.

• Human stakes: the engaged couple and the estranged teacher give the audience people to care about, not just a device to defuse.

• Brisk pacing early on: the film sets up its pieces efficiently and gets moving.

The idea of a hero who has already walked away from his dangerous profession is also a reliable hook. It gives Song Kang Ren a quiet inner conflict that sits under the action.

96 Minutes Cast and Performances

The 96 Minutes cast is led by Austin Lin as Song Kang Ren and Vivian Sung Yun-hua as Huang Xin. Lin plays the ex-expert with a weary, reluctant steadiness, which suits a man pulled back into something he wanted to forget. Sung gives the fiancée warmth and some backbone, so she is more than a worried bystander.

Edison Wang appears as Liu Kai, and Lee Lee-zen plays Li Jie. Eleven Yao is Yang Ting Juan and Kent Tsai is Yang Li Hui. The ensemble gives the carriages a lived-in feel, with a believable range of passengers sharing the danger.

The cast does solid work with what the script hands them. They sell the fear and the confusion well, even when the dialogue turns functional.

Where 96 Minutes Stumbles

The film's main problem is focus. Mixing a bomb plot with a relationship drama about a scandal-stained teacher is a risky balance, and the two threads do not always lift each other. When the story cuts away to personal conflict, the tension can sag.

The running time also works against it. At 117 minutes, the film is longer than its title suggests, and some stretches feel like they could be tighter. A thriller built around a countdown wants to feel lean, and this one sometimes loosens its grip.

As with many genre films of this type, some beats are familiar. Fans of the crime-thriller formula will see a few turns coming. Fans looking for something with sharper edges might also try our crime movie reviews.

Is 96 Minutes Worth Watching?

Yes, 96 Minutes is worth watching if you enjoy contained thrillers and do not mind a few uneven stretches. It is a decent, watchable genre film with a strong hook and capable leads, though it never fully reaches the heights its premise suggests.

Audience reaction has been moderate. The film holds a TMDB audience score of 6.2/10 on its listing, which matches how it plays: engaging, but not a standout. Our own score lands in the same area.

If you want to know where to watch 96 Minutes, check your local cinema and streaming listings, as availability varies by region.

Who Will Enjoy 96 Minutes

• Fans of train-set and ticking-clock thrillers who like a confined location.

• Viewers of Taiwanese and Mandarin-language genre cinema looking for something accessible.

• Anyone who likes action stories with a personal, emotional layer beneath the danger.