Bullet Train [2022]

January 6, 2023

If you’re looking for a fun action movie that will put you in a good mood, Bullet Train starring Brad Pitt is a perfect choice. It’s based on the 2010 novel Maria Beetle by Kōtarō Isaka and directed by David Leitch (Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2). This explains the well-written dialogue and phenomenal pacing. Bullet Train has a running time of just under two hours but those two hours will fly by. We will be following several assassins who all find themselves aboard a bullet train bound for Kyoto. What follows is a series of weird coincidences, accidents, and murders. Everything you would want from an action movie.

As a bonus, we get the now world-famous Japan-inspired visual style. You already might have seen it in Kate, another solid action movie starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Woody Harrelson. Neon-lit environment, sleek design choices, and cute little cabins are what you can expect from this movie. Bullet Train is a movie that’s not meant to be taken seriously and it didn’t take itself seriously. Some of the scenes are simply outrageous along with a couple of unbelievable twists. But you can’t deny they were fun.

The characters were memorable and charismatic, amplified by great performances. And while Brad Pitt is undoubtedly the star here, I think that Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Tangerine and Brian Tyree Henry as Lemon stole the show with some style. Their typically Brit banter was enjoyable and refreshing. And it also offered a nice break from all the action. The story does get a bit confusing at times but it ends on a high note, tying up all the loose ends neatly.

We will be following several different characters and their personal stories trying to make sense of what the fuck is going on. Who hired who and who’s going to get out of it alive and outsmart them all? And as you’re picking your favorites, new characters each crazier than before boarding the train and start wreaking havoc.

It’s nighttime in Japan and one very special bullet train just left the station. It’s headed for Kyoto and aboard it are all kinds of regular people, just going about their lives. But also aboard this train are two professional hitmen, one experienced operator, and a couple of other interesting characters. All their destinies are about to become intertwined forever.

Oh man, I missed blockbuster action movies like Bullet Train. Top Gun: Maverick was just barely acceptable but still better than utter blunders like The Lost City or The Man from Toronto. I guess The Gray Man turned out alright then. Another thing I loved about this movie is the banger soundtrack. Is banger still a legit word, in use? Moreover, is legit still in use? Shit, I better stick to my millennial middle-age lingo. Shit, I’ve done it again, I am a cheeky bastard, am I?

I think you already figured out that most of the story in this movie takes place aboard a train. As such, it belongs to this new wave of movies trying to use this environment to amplify the story. Among them, you will find The Commuter, Murder on the Orient Express, and The Girl on the Train. Of course, I should mention Train to Busan, a gloriously bloody South Korean zombie epic. So, if you’re looking for more of the same you might want to check some of them out. Rabbit out.