05 Aug Bullet Train Review

BULLET TRAIN

dir. David Leitch, starring Brad Pitt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Joey King, Brian Tyree Henry, et al

Bullet Train, one of the final action blockbuster movies of the year, stars Brad Pitt as Ladybug, an assassin who believes he’s unlucky as he returns to the field after taking some time off. Attempting to complete his job as peacefully as possible, his first mission back is a simple one: retrieve a briefcase on a bullet train headed on its way to Kyoto, Japan. A whole host of characters have other plans in mind as Ladybug is placed on a collision course to battle gunmen, henchmen with swords, and vengeful adversaries, all while attempting to get off the world’s fastest train.

While fun on its surface, Bullet Train is a clunky, awkward, unwieldy mess of a movie. With too many different storylines running concurrently on the train, a number of them with lackluster payoffs, the film comes off as a product of the screenwriter not being as smart as he thinks he is. Adapted from the Japanese novel Maria Beetle by Kōtarō Isaka, the film eschews the darker tone set by the original material and instead decides to pack the film with broad comedic bits that don’t always hit their mark. While these concurrent threads do eventually tie into each other (mostly) by the film’s end, the fumbled unraveling of the story, combined with the out of sequence storytelling makes for an unnecessary creative choice that leaves the movie more a group of disjointed scenes rather than a flowing narrating. Complete with a story that relies on clueless passengers completely ignoring fights, gunshots, and breaking glass all throughout each compartment, it seems like screenwriter Zak Olkewicz and director David Leitch spent more time focused on developing entertaining action scenes more than they did fleshing out their world with believable character and plot points.

Starring Brad Pitt in his second of three films he’s appearing in this year, his character of Ladybug feels somewhat congruent with the actor’s real life philosphies. An assassin with all the luck of a shattered mirror landing on a crack in the cement, Ladybug is fresh out of therapy and is determined to be at peace with himself. Choosing to take a zen approach to what should be a fairly simple and straightforward assignment, Ladybug is beset by obstacles on all sides. For his part, there’s not a lot of stretching or, quite frankly, effort required on Pitt’s part; the veteran actor floats through his scenes as he hits his marks and delivers his lines. Unfortunately, due to a weak script, there’s not much for him to bite into, choosing instead to breeze through the film and have a fun time.

Make no mistake, a fun time was definitely had. There are movies where it’s easy for the audience to tell the actors had a blast on set and, to its credit, Bullet Train is certainly one of those movies. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry, perhaps the two who share the second most amount of screen time, are delightful as a pair of assassins whose only goal is to get a briefcase, and a crime boss’ son, safely to Kyoto. As is the theme of the movie, nothing is as simple as it seems, and Tangerine (Taylor-Johnson) and Lemon (Henry) work their hardest to retrieve the case Ladybug has snatched while keeping the son alive. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is swinging for the fences in this movie, delivering a wonderful performance of a man who’s already had it up to here at the film’s outset and becomes increasingly more frustrated as the events play out. Henry, for his part, keeps a cool, calm demeanor while affecting what might be possibly the worst attempt at an English accent in Hollywood history. The two are just as great apart as they are together, and while few can match the raw unmitigated charm that Brad Pitt oozes, Taylor-Johnson is working his best to outshine him.

As for the rest of the cast, so little care is given to their development that they seem to exist only to populate the train and make waves for Ladybug. Outside of Andrew Koji (who mildly redeems himself after Snake Eyes), Hiroyuki Sanada (who can do no wrong), and Joey King (who makes a great sadist, but for very little reason and whose plan is overly intricate), the rest of the ensemble may have a total of 15 lines between them. While it’s nice to see them interact and play in the world Leitch has created, some are only screen for only one scene, and for those who stick around, little is done to give them any credence or respect.

Directed by David Leitch, most famously known for his work on John Wick and directing Atomic Blonde, Bullet Train shows that he’s still on top of his game as far as direction set pieces and action scenes. Along with Chad Stehelski, Leitch has continued to become a force in action movies since 2014’s John Wick, and while Leitch is no longer behind the lens for those films, he’s building a respectable resume within the genre. With Bullet Train being his first misstep, the back-to-back-to-back knockout combination of John Wick, Atomic Blonde, and Deadpool 2 (along with 2021’s Nobody, a gem of a movie), give Leitch a bit of a leeway with Bullet Train. The set design, as well as cinematography by Jonathan Sela (who’s been at Leitch’s side for every one of his films so far), give the movie a distinctly slick and polished look, with the visuals doing a lot of the heavy lifting. While dazzling visuals and well constructed sets can only take a film so far, Bullet Train rides them for all its worth, hoping the audience overlooks the paper-thin story that is the movie’s backbone.

Overall, Bullet Train is a bit more miss than hit. With a clunky story to build a foundation upon, the movie relies more on style over substance as characters move through the overly convoluted plot. While David Leitch is still on top of his game as far as action, the script leaves much to be desired, giving many members of the ensemble cast very little in terms of depth or substance. A great Friday or Saturday night movie to watch with friends and drinks, it can be enjoyed on a surface level without too much examination or analysis put into it. Bullet Train is currently in theaters.

Review by Darryl Mansel