Review: Bullet Train

I was fully prepared to go into Bullet Train and be annoyed by the sarcastic jokes and over-the-top action comedy. Bullet Train made me genuinely laugh more times in a cinema than I have in a long time. The film effectively finds the balance between action, comedy, and heart to create an entertaining thrill ride that benefits from its razor-sharp cast of colourful characters. Whilst not a perfect film, with a second half that drags slightly towards its climax, Bullet Train is a very solid action comedy that understands the importance of comedic timing and how to subvert character tropes.

Bullet Train is a very solid action comedy that understands the importance of comedic timing and how to subvert character tropes

Bullet Train follows a group of assassins who meet on a bullet train going through Japan. As their separate missions proceed, they start to realise they might have more in common than they first thought. This plot is deliberately convoluted, but, for the most part, Bullet Train manages to sustain its twisty plot without it taking away from the writing. There are a few instances where the cutting back and forth between plot threads becomes too much, and instead of slowing down to catch us up, Bullet Train keeps speeding through. This did irritate me at times, but I was still able to grasp what was happening, even if I was left piecing different things together after the credits rolled.

I think the reason that I did not really mind the fast pace was because I was having too much fun with these characters. Ladybug (Brad Pitt) is the main character and Pitt consistently delivers on the comedy and the action. He wonderfully plays against type, and his reluctance to be in this situation never gets old. The main standouts are the duo of Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Lemon (Brain Tyree Henry). I have not seen such effective comedic chemistry in a long time, and I loved every second that they shared together on screen. Johnson’s hard-edged London gangster-style character paired with Henry’s more earnest hit man create a great balance on screen. These two commit to the comedy, making it sound convincing even when it becomes repetitive towards the latter half.

The success of Bullet Train lies in its writing. This script makes the most of its outlandish situations, coincidences, and confined settings and finding effective ways to have its characters traverse it. I enjoyed the script’s sardonic charm more than I thought I would, but it will not work for everybody. The dialogue is snappy, but the cheekiness can get in its own way. A few moments are undercut by clever jokes, and as Bullet Train comes to an end, it does feel overly long as the comedy refuses to let up. There is a relatively interesting idea of fate running through Bullet Train, but the comedy never really lets you do anything meaningful with it.

I enjoyed the script’s sardonic charm more than I thought I would, but it will not work for everybody

This never became too much of an issue for me because Bullet Train wears its intentions on its sleeve. The same can be said for the action. Director David Leitch clearly has an eye for how to shoot an action scene. The violence breaks out in glorious and gruesome fashion, and with flair. The action choreography is creative, and when it blends just right with the comedy in certain moments, Bullet Train really shines. But, like the comedy, towards the end of the film the violence becomes less engaging as it feels like Bullet Train runs out of tricks. The ending is as explosive and satisfying as you might hope, but I think Bullet Train could have benefited from being a tight ninety minutes, not two hours.

Verdict:

I had far too much fun with Bullet Train to pay too much attention to its flaws. It knows what it is, and executes it with enjoyable style and direction. Bullet Train’s laughs land with a decently consistent hit rate that I feel is rare for modern mainstream comedy. I respect that it stuck to its style and tone. Bullet Train does enough to get to the last stop because it recognises its own strengths. Its specific blend will not work for everyone, but I am glad to say that the over-the-top style of witty action comedy got me to stay with Bullet Train until the ride came to an end.