Based on a popular novel by Kotaro Isaka, Bullet Train is a summer action comedy starring Brad Pitt. He plays Ladybug, a slightly disillusioned assassin who has to battle other killers on board a fast moving Japanese train in order to complete his latest job.
After a sluggish start that flips uneasily backwards and forwards in time in order to reveal the back story of some of the participants, this really hits its stride. There are some terrific fight scenes choreographed by director, and ex-stuntman, David Leitch. Most of the movie is shot in vivid primary colours giving it a heightened comic-book-like feel. The dialogue is full of quips, most of which work pretty well and the sheer pace of the story means anything that does not work is quickly forgotten.
Pitt brings his own brand of laid back charm to the lead role and the supporting cast, particularly Aaron Taylor Johnson as a cockney killer are a delight. There are also cameos from Pitt’s Lost City co stars Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum, Michael Shannon, and Hawaii Five-0’s Masi Oka, plus a blink-and-you miss-him appearance by Ryan Reynolds.
Rating: 8 out of 10