Bullet Train review

With an A-list cast happily playing against type, a nonlinear storytelling approach, witty dialogue and a plethora of creative violence, Bullet Train plays out like an immensely satisfying upgrade of prime Tarantino.

Director David Leitch (Deadpool 2, John Wick) understands exactly how to deliver these chaotic, character-driven action spectacles. Leitch goes big with stylish fight choreography done in a clear manner so viewers can actually take everything in without being bombarded by editing seeking to disguise poorly laid out action sequences.

Any director can shoot scene after scene of gory violence beyond the point of excess, but Leitch knows those moments in between the bloodshed that’s far more important.

With a stacked cast including Brad Pitt, Bryan Tyree Henry, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Joey King, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Zazie Beetz and Bad Bunny, Leitch doesn’t have much to do besides letting them have fun with this setup. Leitch also called in a few favors for some tremendous, unexpected cameos.

Zak Olkewicz, adapting Kôtarô Isaka’s book, has a great flair for dialogue. The back-and-forth exchanges between the characters are fun instead of borderline indulgent (see modern era Tarantino). The script allows for most of the principal characters to have at least one scene with each other making for some very entertaining pairings. 

Five assassins are hired to get onboard a bullet train to accomplish very different missions. The twins, Lemon (Henry) and Tangerine (Taylor-Johnson), are to return a feared crime lord’s son (Logan Lerman) to him — along with a briefcase full of ransom money.

Not like the name shouldn’t have been a dead giveaway, but the twins quickly realize they might be in some serious trouble if they fail to deliver for White Death. Henry and Taylor-Johnson have stellar chemistry and bounce off each other as if they’d done dozens of films together.

Ladybug (Pitt, The Lost City) is called in to replace another operative and simply retrieve the briefcase. He’s feeling very optimistic after some intense therapy sessions with his counselor.

Pitt can still pull off the suave, dashing ladies’ man roles, but he’s been a lot more fun lately in these quirky roles where he can be a little goofy and over the top. This might be my favorite Pitt performance since Inglourious Basterds.

Of course, the gig proves far more difficult than either party can imagine as other players start entering the field. A seemingly innocent girl (King, The Kissing Booth 2) is forcing a desperate father (Koji) to carry out her revenge plot while another pair of assassins begin quietly adding to the body count. And when Shannon and Sanada enter the fray things reach an entirely new level of entertaining…and bloody.

Cinematographer Jonathan Sela (Deadpool 2) incorporates a stunning, mesmerizing blend of colors playing off the neon skyscape and cabin lights in the train. Due to the film’s structure, tight precise editing is key and Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir’s seamless work can’t receive enough praise.

There are some nice unpredictable twists the story takes with a few fake-outs that actually work to the film’s benefit instead of feeling like cheap cop-outs on some characters’ fates.

At first it seems like the ride will run out of momentum after the first half, but Leitch and Olkewicz have more than enough layers left to reveal to keep the train rolling to its final destination.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Photo Credit: Columbia Pictures

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