Bullet Train is one of those movies that has a very specific style. It’s not a unique film, as there have been plenty of other movies that are very similar in terms of tone, editing, action, humor, and subject matter. However, it manages to be a fun and wacky experience when it is done properly. Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Lucky Number Sleven, Smoking Aces, Shoot ‘Em Up are all movies that come to mind as similar examples with comedic, over-the-top action and stylish flair. They’re movies that often land as cult favorites because they take a lot of work to do well and don’t always appeal to wide audiences. Bullet Train fits right into that category.

Pros

Relatively tight script with some decent setup and payoff
Humor ramps up over time with the action
Dynamic camera angles in tight spaces to keep even the quieter parts of the movie moving
Good fight choreography and action
The most appropriate use of Ryan Reynolds

Cons

Special effects look cheap and rushed
Lots of exposition and repeated shots
A lot of suspension of disbelief required
Could have been shorter

Plot & Thoughts

A man by the code name of Ladybug (Brad Pitt) is tasked with a job. He’s to get on a bullet train in Japan, grab a suitcase, then get off the train and leave it at the drop point. Seems simple enough and Ladybug approves of such a job because he’s had a string of bad luck on the various jobs he had previously that involved many dead bodies and his own near extinction. Due to this string of bad luck, he has been going through therapy to regain his confidence. We as the audience know two things from Ladybug’s introduction that are not explicitly said: he is a man who deals in the underworld of reality with assassins and subterfuge; this job will not be as easy as he thinks it is. Indeed, the MacGuffin case will not be leaving the train until the final act as Ladybug again and again will be forced to stay on the train for one reason or another because there are several other people on the train who have goals that are diametrically opposed to his, including:

Two brothers, Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) and Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), who have been tasked with returning a kidnapped son to a powerful Yakuza boss known as The White Death
An intelligent and malicious young girl called The Prince (Joey King)
A distraught father (Andrew Koji) seeking revenge for the one who put his son in the hospital
An unseen assassin who is introduced later
Several other individuals who get on the train with wildcard tendencies to throw everything else into turmoil

There’s not much of an overarching plot to Bullet Train other than Ladybug wants to finish his job and live to see tomorrow. However, all the side stories of the various characters and how they intersect and connect is where much of Bullet Train’s enjoyment comes in, which is why it’s best not to spoil much about what happens or why. This is one of those movies that you’re better off going in cold and theorizing where it’s going to go next. When the experience is finally over, you can look back at the various clues and hints in the script at which there was foreshadowing for events to unfold later. If there’s one thing that Bullet Train does better than most modern films, it’s setup and payoff. Some of it is pretty obvious, but some is subtle enough for you to not notice immediately and recognize it later.

The characters add a lot to the experience as well. As more characters are introduced, how they relate to each other or Ladybug’s plight keeps things engaging and creates several mysteries in the process. Each character also has their own look and personality to make them uniquely stand out from one another. The dialogue between Tangerine & Lemon is charming and entertaining with some funny lines, making them characters you root for even if they’re trying to catch and kill Ladybug. The Prince is a cruel villain whom you root to fail because of how terrible she is, yet she’s still compelling in her own way. The dialogue between characters and their delivery is all very tight and deliberate, similar to a Tarantino film.

The downside to these characters and their side stories is that there are a lot of instances in which a scene or a shot or piece of exposition is repeated to make sure you, the dumb audience member you are, can follow along. There were plenty of times I wondered why we were seeing something again that was not providing any new information about the situation and it made the movie longer than it needed to be. Scenes like this and a few lengthy segments in the final act could have been trimmed down to the point that twenty minutes probably could have been cut from the runtime.

Where Bullet Train manages to fail and succeed at the same time is with the action. The way the action is shot, especially the choreographed fight scenes, is really entertaining. There’s plenty of action in between the scenes with the tightly written dialogue to keep things exciting. The downside to a lot of the action, however, is how much you have to suspend your disbelief for some of it and the various instances in which the visual effects are used do not look good enough to add to the believability.

There are plenty of instances in which a character manages to shrug off something because they’re a badass or because the plot demands they survive made Bullet Train more anime than reality. Perhaps that was intentional, and I didn’t really have a problem accepting it since the movie has a tone that should make it clear not to take things too seriously. Nevertheless, there were several moments towards the end in particular that used digital effects that looked pretty bad. I’m not sure if they were running out of time when it came to releasing the film or what, but I was taken aback and surprised by how bad certain things looked. Something as simple as broken glass should have looked better than it did.

TL;DR

Bullet Train is a fun, dynamic movie with a lot of flair and personality that manages to entertain both during the fast-paced action scenes and during the quieter dialogue-filled moments. You have to suspend your disbelief throughout the craziest moments and look the other way when the special effects don’t look great. Nonetheless, it’s an exciting ride from beginning to end that keeps the action fast and the humor snappy.

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