You might think of movies like Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, where a group of quirky criminals collide in messy missions, resulting in as much violence as possible. David Leitch is the director of Bullet Train, a movie that isn't a new Guy Ritchie movie, but a movie that's been making a lot of money. He's got Brad Pitt as his leading man and a speeding train as the terrain where warring hitmen are fired up.
Bullet Train is a comedy based on a novel by Ktar Isaka and stars Brad Pitt. He's going to take a bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto in order to steal a briefcase. His handler assured him over the phone that it was a simple job. The Prince, The Wolf, The Hornet, and the duo of Tangerine and Lemon are just some of the code names that Ladybug has to contend with.
While these foes come armed with guns, knives, and deadly venom, Ladybug has opted not to carry a weapon but instead a bunch of therapy sound bites about how every conflict is an opportunity for change. Can he stick to his self- improvement plan and survive the ride to Kyoto? Progress is not a straight line.
Credit: Sony Pictures
Brad Pitt is having a great year for comedy action roles. He had all the swagger of Harrison Ford. He turned the tables on our expectations of the Pitt persona from movies such as Fight Club and Once Upon a Time. In Hollywood, playing a bucket-hatted goofball, who would be more at home politely badgering a barista for almond milk than face off with a group of murderers on a high-speed train. This incongruity makes Pitt the goofy grinned center of an unapologetically silly and still violent thrill ride.
Joey King, Andrew Koji, Bad Bunny, Zazie Beetz, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Michael Shannon are just some of the people around Pitt. The character reveals of their characters are part of the journey. I'll be detouring around the information.
The Twins are a tag team of assassins who go by the names Lemon and Tangerine. Both boast sparkling British accents, but Johnson is a different kind of English mobster with a polished presentation and a refusal to get ruffled. He has a sexy, crooked smile and growls threats. Henry is the wild card of the pair, being in front of hostages and tying everything to the stories of Thomas the Tank Engine. The elements from Isaka's novel are present in the Thomas and Friends stuff. It plays as unexpected fun, then a bit grating, then circles back around to bizarrely bemusing because of Henry's commitment to the bit. Who knew a children's sticker book could be so strong?
Credit: Sony Pictures
This can be to its disadvantage sometimes. Zak Olkewicz has delivered a lot of rapid-fire banter, from train-traveling decorum to a disputed kill count. Sometimes such exchanges set off a fast-paced flashback to minutes, hours, or years before, giving the audience a crash course on complicated back stories in moments. As the plot races into a thicket of conflicts, clues, and connections, this frenzied approach is fun. These flashbacks derail as the train hits the final leg of its journey. The journey of a water bottle to a pivotal moment is meant to be wacky entertainment, but like some of the cross-cutting action sequence, it's more frustrating than expected.
Bullet Train slows down at two hours and six minutes in order to allow the audience to process the twists and turns of the story. The weight of this final battle is meant to sink in. Bullet Train is a bit of a bore without its non-stop stunts and hijinks, which makes it dumb in its physical comedy at the end. I appreciate the honesty of the movie and it isn't pretending to be sophisticated.
Credit: Sony Pictures
Sorry to the grating Gray Man and the wobbly Top Gun: Maverick. Let's not make the mistake of thinking Spiderhead is an action film. David Leitch broke onto the scene as an uncredited helmer in JohnWick, then promptly delivered the orgasmic action epic that is Atomic Blonde. He is a master at finding new ways to throw punches and make it cinematically stunning.
Ladybug is forced to find anything he can to fight for his life because he doesn't want a gun. Cabinet doors, bottled water, and laptops can be used with imagination. The audience will get a more intense sense of motion when the camera is thrown into a lunge. The sound effects are not as hard hitting as they might be. That way the violence feels positive and exciting.
The bullet train is great. The pacing fails for a bit and some characters are short changed. Her one-note role is not what she deserves. Bullet Train is the most enjoyable movie I have seen this summer. Leitch has star power, colorful killers, inventive stunts, and zinging banter in his latest. Bullet Train is a thrilling and heart-pounding ride.
On August 5th, Bullet Train opens in theaters.
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