“Bullet Train” Review

Ladybug’s (Brad Pitt) simple job of snatching a briefcase is anything but simple in the action film “Bullet Train.”

While the summer movie season has been good for independent films and superhero films, it has been sorely lacking when it comes to action cinema. With the exception of “Top Gun: Maverick,” most of the action films released this summer have been nothing short of disappointing with films like “Jurassic World: Dominion” being CGI bores. 

Now, an action film has come along to turn the pendulum back towards entertainment. “Bullet Train” was a fantastic action film which provided much needed entertainment for this season of blockbusters. 

In Tokyo, an overtly positive assassin codenamed “Ladybug” (Brad Pitt) is sent on a mission to retrieve a briefcase on the titular train as it races towards Kyoto. However, the train is chock full of murderers, criminals, mercinaries and thieves who all want the briefcase and have no idea why they’re all here. As Ladybug fends off the killers, he begins to discover that everyone on the train isn’t here by coincidence. 

The film boasts a large cast of fantastic actors and leading them all with his trademark charisma is Brad Pitt. Pitt is ridiculously entertaining as a man capable of great violence who doesn’t want to hurt anyone. Part of Ladybug’s character is that he not only has bad luck but has been seeing a therapist to find a brighter outlook on life. So, there are many times where he tries to find a peaceful solution to conflict and none of the other mercenaries are having it. 

Several great actors appear and all bring a great deal of life to the film. This includes “twin” brothers codenamed “Tangerine” (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and “Lemon” (Brian Tyree Henry) whose banter is one of the highlights of the film’s comedy. Other memorable faces include The Prince (Joey King), a deadly assassin who impersonates a schoolgirl to avert suspicion, and a father/son duo of assassins (Hiroyuki Sanada and Andrew Koji) who have a personal vendetta with the owners of the briefcase. 

(From Left) Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Ladybug (Brad Pitt) duke it out at high speeds in “Bullet Train.”

All of these criminals have great chemistry with each other and their pursuits of killing each other are delightfully cruel. There’s also a few cameos in the film that were so funny that I dare not spoil them. 

While none of these characters are sure why they’re on the train, the overly complicated motivation is a lot of fun. With director David Leitch at the helm, the action is incredibly gory and entertaining at the same time. With a slew of action films under his belt, including “John Wick,” “Atomic Blonde” and “Deadpool 2,” Leitch knows how to film action and keep showing the viewer a massive spectacle. With the setting of the film being on an incredibly fast train, Leitch takes advantage of this and shows the audience a fun time. 

One of my favorite film’s of last summer was James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad,” partially because it pulled no punches in being gory, action-packed and having a massive body count. “Bullet Train” does the same thing. If you’re one of those people who can’t stand to see any main characters die, you might want to avoid this film because characters can get killed off in hilarious or tragic ways (sometimes both). Leitch makes it perfectly clear that no one is safe. 

While the film is incredible as an action film, the humor can be very hit and miss. The best kind of comedy the film offers either involves the action or the natural interaction between characters. However, the film tries to reinforce some running jokes which aren’t funny the first time but you have to put up with throughout the film. 

There’s also a few opportunities for great comedy which the film doesn’t take. For example, there’s a fight scene between Ladybug and Lemon in the Quiet Car where they are trying to not make a sound while pummeling each other. This could have been incredibly funny but the Quiet Car fight isn’t all that quiet. 

None of these issues ruined the film for me and, in spite of these issues, “Bullet Train” was a fun time at the theater. I can’t believe that I almost forgot how fun Brad Pitt is as a film star. His recent performances in films like “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” “Ad Astra,” “The Lost City” and now “Bullet Train” have cemented him as a performer that Hollywood needs.