Movie Breakdown: Bullet Train
Pre-Screening Stance:
Even though I feel like I’ve been seeing the same Bullet Train marketing for years now, I’m still interested in it and ready to give it a go. After all, I’m always down for anything that stars Brad Pitt, plus director David Leitch has a super solid resume (Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Hobbs & Shaw).
Post-Screening Ramble:
Bullet Train is – essentially – a funnier, more light-hearted version of 2006’s Smokin’ Aces. The film follows Ladybug (Brad Pitt), a trained killer/thief/something who has been sent to retrieve a briefcase that’s currently on a … bullet train. Things actually get off to a pretty smooth start for the guy, but before he can make his getaway, it becomes pretty clear that he’s in the midst of a ride with a whole slew of assassins who want said briefcase and more.
Kudos to director David Leitch – he has a lot to balance in Bullet Train and he manages to make it all work. The film doesn’t just follow Pitt’s Ladybug as he tries to complete his objective, it bounces around between a variety of characters. There’s Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) and Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), Prince (Joey King), Wolf (Bad Bunny), Kimura (Andrew Koji), and others, and with each one you get a little backstory and/or a timeline jump that furthers the mystery of how and why they’re all on the same ride together. Leitch keeps a cracking pace with these moments though, and when you combine that with the plentiful chunks of action and comedy that’s already zooming about on the train, the end result is a movie that is engaging and exciting. Also, there’s something to be said about how much fun the entire cast (especially Pitt) clearly had with their roles.
You should definitely catch Bullet Train when it opens this Friday, August 5.
One Last Thought:
I’m guessing it’ll never happen, but if someone (correctly) decided to make a movie (or a TV series) that followed the early adventures of Lemon and Tangerine, I just want to put it out there that I would absolutely watch it.
