Bullet Train is a semi-recent action film from director and stunt coordinator David Leitch. Leitch’s past work includes films such as John Wick, Atomic Blonde, and Deadpool 2. Originally released in August of 2022, the film is now available to stream on Netflix. Bullet Train is based on a novel by Japanese author Kotaro Isaka called Maria Beetle. The film adaptation stars Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor- Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, and more.

The basic story of Bullet Train takes place as you would expect, on a bullet train departing from Tokyo and going around the country. Our major character known by the code name Ladybug is dispatched to steal a silver briefcase. However, the case is held by two first-rate assassins known as Lemon and Tangerine.

They have been instructed to return the case to a powerful crime boss known as the White Death. Additionally, the two have been charged with the protection of the White Death’s son who they have recently liberated from rival Yakuza. As the story progresses, even more players become mixed up in the conflict and the resulting chaos is hugely entertaining.

I enjoyed many aspects of Bullet Train. The story is focused and knows exactly what it’s trying to do. The train setting gives everything a nice structure and ensures the story progresses at just the right pace. The setting also allows for a lot of creative action set pieces. The characters are memorable with a variety of different nationalities and quirks represented. The editing takes a lot of inspiration from Guy Ritchie and Tarantino but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing given the quality of their work. The comedic tone is also an upside. The jokes don’t always land but there are certainly a few moments that are quite humorous.

As with most of Leitch’s films, the action choreography is fantastic. He knows exactly where to put the camera in order to give some of the best visuals while keeping tension throughout the fights. One small pet peeve that I have with the action is how cartoonish it feels at points. Characters get knocked around like action figures and take unreasonable amounts of punishment but keep on trucking forward. I’m not going to pretend that any action film is “realistic” but I like more grounded action when presented with a modern setting such as this.

Another big downside for me was Brad Pitt’s performance. He’s certainly trying here, but I always prefer him in a supporting role. In Bullet Train his character will get on your nerves at points with his constant blathering about nothing. It’s not a great sign when you are wishing for the lead to get killed off. In contrast, the supporting cast is so good that it makes up for it. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry are the true leads for me and have a lot of fun back-and-forth dialogue. Joey King is great as a manipulative villain while Andrew Koji and Hiroyuki Sanada are just plain awesome.

I had a great time with Bullet Train. Sometimes, it’s nice to just turn your brain off and watch a mindless, over-the-top action film that’s just plain fun. That’s exactly the kind of film this is. It’s not perfect, but I’d say definitely worth a watch if you are an action film fan.

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Bullet Train

0.00

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Creative action scenes
• Focused narrative
• Good supporting cast

Cons

• Pitt's lead performance
• Comedy is hit or miss