Review

Like action-packed thrillers? Then jump aboard Bullet Train starring Brad Pitt

Ron Cerabona
August 6 2022 - 12:00am

Bullet Train. MA15+, 126 minutes. Four stars

If you like violent, fast-moving, action-packed thrillers, then Bullet Train is for you. There are enough misleads and machinations and twists and turns and interesting characters to make you forget - almost - that you're watching a bunch of killers doing what they do best.

This is one of the increasing number of Hollywood movies made with one eye firmly on an international market - in this case, Japan, which provides the setting and many of the characters, as well a second language for many of the captions and, subtitled, some of the dialogue.

A career killer, codenamed Ladybug (Brad Pitt), has been feeling the weight of a life of misdeeds, narrow escapes and a feeling he's dogged by bad luck. He's been undergoing therapy and is constantly spouting self-help jargon and aphorisms like "Hurt people hurt people" (there are indeed a lot of very hurt people in this movie).

Benito Antonio Martnez Ocasio encounters Brad Pitt in Bullet Train. Picture: Scott Garfield
Benito Antonio Martnez Ocasio encounters Brad Pitt in Bullet Train. Picture: Scott Garfield

Now he's - somewhat reluctantly - back on the job and his handler Maria (Sandra Bullock) has given him a seemingly simple assignment: retrieving a briefcase from the bullet train going from Tokyo to Kyoto.

Pitt is his usual charismatic self, with floppy hair, dark-rimmed glasses, casual dress and laid-back manner contrasting with flashes of violence (though the latter aren't always coolly and cleanly executed). His constant bemoaning of his bad luck (though he fares a lot better than many characters in the movie) and recounting the lessons of his shrink, also help to give him a goofier, less brutal side. Pitt is effective at conveying all sides of the character.

As is so often the case, the "simple" task turns out to be anything but and there's a lot more involved than a simple briefcase.

There aren't many passengers on the train but they all seem to be in the same line of work, or at least their business relates to someone else's - part of the fun of the movie is the introduction of new characters and sudden flashbacks and trying to work out the connections (some easier than others). There are also non-human elements besides that briefcase to keep track of, including a venomous snake and a vial of sleeping powder.

A couple of other big-name Hollywood stars make cameo appearances - keep an eye out.

Among the people we meet are the British "twins", codenamed Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry), whose relationship is one of the highlights of the movie. Lemon's ongoing use of Thomas the Tank Engine metaphors might get to be a bit much after a while but it's a nice character touch and the actors create a fine sense of camaraderie, a bit of human feeling among all the ruthlessness.

Also among those on board are the oddly named Prince (Joey King), who is in fact a murderous female teenager. She tried (for reasons that either we didn't see or I can't recall) to kill the young son of Kimura (Andrew Koji) and maintains a hold on him, threatening his child from afar. But Kimura is no slouch when it comes to violence and there's also his father (dignified and threatening Hiroyuki Sanada), known as the Elder, to reckon with.

Then there are assassins Wolf (Benito Antonop Martinez Ocasio) and Hornet (Zazie Beetz) as well as the big baddie, White Death (Michael Shannon).

A couple of other big-name Hollywood stars make cameo appearances - keep an eye out. Here's a hint: this film is directed by David Leitch, who also made Deadpool 2.

There's a final scene shortly into the end credits, so don't rush for the door as soon as the film seems to be over.

The small Dendy audience I saw this with seemed to enjoy it, with bursts of laughter at several points.

Bullet Train is perhaps a bit long at just over two hours and the dialogue isn't always as clever as it could be, but it's certainly well made - there are lots of impressive stunts and special effects - and an above-average example of its type.

Ron Cerabona

Ron Cerabona

Arts reporter

As arts reporter I am interested in and cover a wide range of areas - film, visual art, theatre and music, among others - to tell readers about what's coming and happening in the vibrant and varied world of the arts in Canberra. Email: ron.cerabona@canberratimes.com.au