If there is one thing director David Leitch isn’t a stranger to, it's the action genre. After working on stunts teams since 1997, he then went on to become a part of the producing team of the 'John Wick' franchise before directing 'Atomic Blonde', 'Deadpool 2' and the 'Fast and Furious' spin-off film 'Hobbs & Shaw'; the man is a veteran of the genre. This time around, he's taking us full steam ahead on the 'Bullet Train'.
Armed with one simple mission, Ladybug (Brad Pitt, 'The Lost City', 'Ad Astra') is board a bullet train going from Tokyo to Kyoto to grab the briefcase with the train sticker and get out at the next stop. But things quickly get out of hand with many different parties after the case - Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 'Tenet', 'The King's Man') and Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry, 'Eternals', 'Godzilla vs. Kong'), a twin duo tasked with getting the case and The White Death’s Son (Logan Lerman, 'Noah', 'Fury') to the end of the line, Prince (Joey King, 'The Kissing Booth' franchise, 'The Princess'), an assassin posing as a schoolgirl and The Wolf (Bad Bunny here credited as Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, 'Fast & Furious 9') whose who wedding day ended in a massacre due to The Hornet (Zazie Beetz, 'Deadpool 2', 'The Bad Guys'). The question remains: will Ladybug make it off the train, or will each stop only to throw more at him?
'BULLET TRAIN' TRAILER
'Bullet Train' has all the quintessential elements for a good popcorn flick - fun quips, energetic action, and a killer soundtrack. It does at times show its ego and thinking it's above itself, but it mainly just lets the fun times roll. The film does get bloated at times and could have done with a bit more refining; The Hornet character in particular feels very wasted.
'Bullet Train' has all the quintessential elements for a good popcorn flick - fun quips, energetic action, and a killer soundtrack.
The cast is more often than not the highlight of the show, even more so than the action pieces. Pitt, Taylor-Johnson, Henry and King are delivering, and it’s a blast to experience the fun they are all having. All of the film's charm is owed to them.
'Bullet Train' is a fun ride, but don’t be expecting this to be as well-crafted as some of Leitch’s other ventures. It’s fun, sometimes campy, and a good time that's sure to satisfy action buffs.