I thought Bullet Train was going to be a straight forward action thriller until I found out that John Wick (2014) and Deadpool 2 (2018) director David Leitch was at the helm. Here he concocts another a highly entertaining, high octane, stylised actioner with plenty of irreverence, over the top violence and black comedy to throw you off track, so you never quite know what is going to happen next.
Brad Pitt is having a bad day and just wants to quietly get the job done for his employer and leave the train, however he is one of five assassins who have boarded who become unwittingly interconnected with each other while doing different jobs that result in bloody shootouts, ultra violence and witty banter, especially between Lemon and Tangerine, where Leitch clearly takes his cues from Guy Ritchie, as they all speed across Japan to get their respective jobs done.
While the story gets a little convoluted there's never a dull moment as Leitch expertly choreographs the action to perfection. It's a cracking thrill ride with a witty script full of twists and turns, colourful characters and Japanese flourishes, often reminiscent of Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994) but with more gloss. Bullet Train is an absolute blast that moves along at a breakneck speed, even if there's a little too much CGI for my liking, but the sheer bravura set pieces, wit and style ensures a high likeability factor and it's good to see Brad Pitt clearly enjoying himself here in amongst all the irreverence.
Brad Pitt is having a bad day and just wants to quietly get the job done for his employer and leave the train, however he is one of five assassins who have boarded who become unwittingly interconnected with each other while doing different jobs that result in bloody shootouts, ultra violence and witty banter, especially between Lemon and Tangerine, where Leitch clearly takes his cues from Guy Ritchie, as they all speed across Japan to get their respective jobs done.
While the story gets a little convoluted there's never a dull moment as Leitch expertly choreographs the action to perfection. It's a cracking thrill ride with a witty script full of twists and turns, colourful characters and Japanese flourishes, often reminiscent of Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994) but with more gloss. Bullet Train is an absolute blast that moves along at a breakneck speed, even if there's a little too much CGI for my liking, but the sheer bravura set pieces, wit and style ensures a high likeability factor and it's good to see Brad Pitt clearly enjoying himself here in amongst all the irreverence.