Bullet Train is a 2022 action comedy directed by David Leitch, from a screenplay by Zak Olkewicz. Leitch, the accomplished stunt coordinator turned director, has proven himself in the action comedy genre with films like Deadpool 2 and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. The film is based on the novel Maria Beetle (published in English as Bullet Train) by Kōtarō Isaka.

Ladybug is an unlucky assassin who's determined to do his job peacefully after one too many gigs has gone off the rails. Fate, however, may have other plans as his latest mission puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries from around the globe -- all with connected yet conflicting objectives -- on the world's fastest train.

The cast includes Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Benito "Bad Bunny" Ocasio, and Zazie Beetz.

Bullet Train made its theatrical debut on August 5th, courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing.

THE GOOD

Bullet Train is one of those movies that when you see the trailer, your immediate reaction is fu#k yeah I’m seeing that movie! At least that was my experience. Everything about the trailer was exciting and just had that needs to be seen in the movie theater feel, which always gets my blood pumping. My immediate impression of Bullet Train after seeing the trailer was that it reminded me of another bonkers action thriller from 2006 called Smokin’ Aces, written and directed by Joe Carnahan. But did the film live up to the trailer? Keep reading to find out!

I went into the movie theater with what I would consider being high yet somehow measured expectations, mainly because I knew what to expect from the genre and I also knew the screenplay would get a little crazy. But man did I have a blast with Bullet Train, it was just so much fun from start to finish. When you have a talented stunt coordinator in David Leitch who finds his way into the director’s chair, you know things are about to be lit. I talked a bit about his previous films, but man does he have a certain style and just a propensity for well-choreographed fight scenes and as much violence as you can fit on the screen. Bullet Train is extremely over the top and oftentimes borderline corny.

Still, for me, it all worked so damn well mainly because of Leitch’s direction and his ability to have an identity from the start, and his ability to stay on the path. From the action to the story to the dialogue, everything comes at you 1000 miles an hour and you can rest assured you will never be bored during this movie. I loved how we were treated to a ton of great flashbacks as far as how the story all came together which serves as the origin stories for the characters in a way. I also thought considering the premise and just how whacky the movie is, it actually found a way to sneak a bit of heart in there towards the end which I certainly appreciated.

Touching on the screenplay a bit more, Zak Olkewicz did a stellar job adapting the story from Kôtarô Isaka’s book. Olkewicz wrote the screenplay for the 2021 Netflix horror slasher Fear Street: Part Two - 1978, but aside from that, Bullet Train is only his 2nd writing credit, which seems crazy to me. I couldn’t find much online about him aside from the fact that he is the son of the late character actor Walter Olkewicz known for his roles in television, who he cared for during his last days prior to his passing in 2021. Admittedly I haven’t read Isaka’s book but what Olkewicz is able to do here is craft an immersive story that takes full advantage of each and every character. Early on I was worried that the story was going to get a bit convoluted, but once we get to the final act of the film it all comes together perfectly. The bottom line, the screenplay perfectly matched the action and kept my eyes glued to the screen.

Now aside from the incredible work from the director and the writers of the film, the bread and butter of Bullet Train is without a doubt the ridiculously talented cast. First, my guy Brad Pitt simply crushes it as usual, and I really enjoyed his character. His character is given the code name Ladybug, mainly because he can’t seem to shake the bad luck that follows him everywhere he goes. His current job was supposed to be smooth and easy, but when he is involved, nothing ever is. Pitt is able to play this fun and charismatic character who can’t seem to get out of his own way perfectly, and every time something goes horribly wrong for him, you will have a smile on your face.

Aside from Pitt, a great deal of screen-time is afforded to the duo consisting of the great Aaron Taylor-Johnson of Kick-Ass fame, and Atlanta star Brian Tyree Henry. Taylor-Johnson is lowkey one of my favorite actors, and if you haven’t seen Tom Ford’s thriller Nocturnal Animals, you need to. It’s hard to believe that he was the same skinny kid in 2010’s Kick-Ass, but man, just look at him now. Taylor-Johnson and Henry play twin brothers known only as Tangerine and Lemon, yes you read that right, and I really enjoyed both of their characters. Whether it was Taylor-Johnson’s constant criticism of his brother’s decision-making or Henry’s ridiculous yet intriguing Thomas the Train obsession, it all just worked so well and I loved the dynamic between their characters.

Next, I have to talk about Andrew Kojo who plays Kimura, and the film actually opens with his character even though Pitt’s Ladybug is technically the main character. Each character is uniquely interwoven into the story which is part of why it all works so well. I felt for Koji’s character from the start, and man does he deal with quite the draining emotional roller-coaster of a character arch. The legendary Hiroyuki Sanada, who was a straight badass as Scorpion in the 2021 Mortal Kombat film, is arguably the most integral chess piece in this story. Sanada plays a man known only as The Elder and is the father of Koji’s character. I mean, when Sanada makes the decision to get directly involved, you know that the party is about to get kicked up about 10 notches. This dude is the kind of badass that takes on 100 people with a damn samurai sword and walks out without a scratch. At the end of the day, his character was epic and the film does not work as well as it does without him.

Next on the list is a thorn in the side of both Kimura and his father, the supremely confident and vengeful Prince played by Joey King. King, who has been building quite a career since 2006, plays what is easily one of my favorite roles from her mainly because it felt so different. She is that female character swimming in a pool of testosterone, and you never once feel like she is out of her league. I won’t give anything away of course, but she plays a vital role and does one heck of a job.

Zazie Beetz doesn’t get a ton of screen time but as per usual, she makes her presence known nonetheless. Sandra Bullock plays a supporting role too but is also great as usual. Benito "Bad Bunny" Ocasio was also awesome in a supporting role known only as Wolf. Michael Shannon, who I feel is somehow underrated as an actor and actually stars alongside Taylor-Johnson in the Nocturnal Animals film I mentioned a few paragraphs ago, plays the role of White Death. First off he is a bad guy, which should be obvious judging by the name, but man is that a cool-ass name. Shannon easily plays the most formidable and intriguing character in the film, and it was always exciting when he was on-screen. And not just because of his awesome mask which is 2nd to Jason’s hockey mask from Friday the 13th in terms of “don’t F with this guy factor”. His character was central to the story, and I don’t think anyone could have played that role better than he did. Bullet Train also has some amazing cameos, but I refuse to ruin them for you. You just have to experience them for yourself.

Okay so clearly I can’t conclude a review for a movie like Bullet Train without touching on the technical elements of the film, and boy oh boy were they glorious. Earlier I mentioned director David Leitch and the fact that he is widely known for his incredibly well-choreographed fight scenes, and he does not skimp on those here. Every fight sequence was amazing, and not a single character managed to sneak away without lots of blood and bruises, which was just par for the course aboard this train. Leitch even treats us to a fabulous Deadpool intro scene style slow-mo sequence in the final act of the film which I really enjoyed. I thought the editing for the film was money considering that even though it was over 2-hours long, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and was never bored.

Also, considering the film took place entirely on a train, the cinematography still found a way to be eye-popping while capturing the colorful and massive feel of Japan. This was compliments of Jonathan Sela, who just did The Lost City (our review here), and also worked with Leitch on Hobbs & Shaw, Deadpool 2 (our review here), and Atomic Blonde (our review here). Plus he did John Wick, I mean damn this guy is good. Also a massive shoutout to composer Dominic Lewis who did the soundtrack and absolutely crushed it. A film like this with such a crazy packing and so much action needs a killer soundtrack, and he brings it and then some. I thought the music for the film was just so good, including a seemingly out-of-place but perfect appearance by the song Five Hundred Miles, which previously appeared in Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), where it was treated to a Justin Timberlake and Carey Mulligan performance.

THE BAD

Okay so now it is time to talk about what I didn’t like about the movie. In my personal opinion, Bullet Train is one of those movies that you can’t necessarily say is bad, but you can surely say it isn’t for you. It is extremely violent, over-the-top, and hilarious yet perhaps throws more humor at you than it necessarily needed to, and also from early on, it comes at your pretty fast. During the beginning of the movie, I felt like my head was spinning a bit and I was worried that I was missing certain elements of the story since everything seemed to be moving so fast. Luckily the story came together seamlessly by the end and I was confident that I didn’t miss anything. So yeah, in general, I really thoroughly enjoyed Bullet Train and for that reason, I can’t sit here and pick it apart.

It just had 10 “hell yeah!” moments for every “hmmm not sure why they did that” sort of moments. I mean it is a certain type of genre that you either love or you don’t, but beyond that to say this is a bad movie is a ridiculous notion if you ask me. Especially when you think about the reason why we want to see movies on the big screen in the first place. Also, I honestly wasn’t surprised to see what I consider to be lackluster scores from most critics mainly because they seem to have a difficult time appreciating movies built on violence and humor in this day and age. Bullet Train has a ton of replayability which is part of why I enjoy movies like this so much. I talked about Smokin’ Aces earlier in the review, and after leaving the theater I wanted to go right to watching that again, which is streaming on Peacock Premium if you are interested.

THE VERDICT

Fast-paced action perfectly blended with laugh-out-loud humor, gratuitous violence, and an epic soundtrack matched only by the hunk of steel traveling at blazing speeds, Bullet Train is yet another reminder of why talented stunt coordinator turned director David Leitch is a force to be reckoned with. Leitch is simply a beast in the director’s chair, and this movie was an absolute blast to experience in theaters, as it kept a smile on my face from start to finish. I loved the story, the characters and cast were incredible, and the fun factor was just through the roof. Plus I laughed out loud a ton and as soon as I left the theater I wanted to tell anyone that would listen about the cameos. I mentioned in the bad section that at first things seemed to be a bit hectic as far as the storytelling element, but it all came together leaving viewers with what amounts to one heck of a wild ride. Sure some of the jokes don’t hit, but when you are free-wheeling humor during almost the entire movie, that is bound to be the case.

I absolutely plan to see Bullet Train in theaters at least one more time, and I suggest you make your way over there sooner than later because this is a movie that demands the big screen. You won’t be disappointed. Unless you hate high-energy and extremely violent yet still hilarious movies, because if that is the case, perhaps you should just stay home.