Tuesday, August 2, 2022

'Bullet Train' - A Full Blast of Eye-Popping Action Comedy in a Train

Brad Pitt and co. is undoubtedly having a blast in this epic action comedy Bullet Train--literally and figuratively. And along with Everything Everywhere All at Once, 2022 is clearly having a barrage of memorable action comedies moviegoers are going to talk about in the coming years.

Columbia Pictures

Bullet Train stars Brad Pitt as Ladybug, an unlucky assassin who's just trying to do his job peacefully until fate, yet again, brings him with other manic characters in a bullet train, all with connected and clashing purposes. 

Often times funny, most of the time gory, and it feels like it simply exists to make people have a crazy good time in the cinema. Whether it succeeds or not, it really depends on the person's brand of humor. This is after all directed by David Leitch who helmed the second Deadpool.

The cast and their characters are ironically charming, though. Everyone's obviously insane to a degree, they're after all assassins. But their backstories and dynamic that anchor their lunacies are what makes them fun to root for. Most especially Ladybug who clearly just wants to do his job, finish it, and be a better person. Then there's this comical duo of Lemon and Tangerine played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Bryan Tyree Henry who both provide the silly quips and heavy banters we often see in these action comedies. All I could warn is their existence is a very specific type of acquired taste probably half of the people would laugh at them, and the other would roll their eyes.

It isn't only the combination of the cast, their characters, and the impressive web of stories that made this an overall crazy good time. Leitch's unique take on Japan as seen through the bullet train's windows, the eye-popping cuts and transitions, and the sleek, neon, and colorful interiors also adds to the grandeur of this film. That's why there's no hesitance to call this 'epic'. This clearly is intended to defy physics and logic, and sometimes there's nothing wrong with that.