Here’s Why You Should Absolutely Hop on Board and See “Bullet Train”

Strap yourself in for a crazy ride.

There was something intriguing about Bullet Train from its very first trailer release.

Was it the spectacle of neon lights, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it action manoeuvres, and the Agatha Christie set-up of mayhem and murder on a single carriage?

Perhaps a bit of that, but I realised upon walking out of the cinema that I felt as though I’d been taking a fresh breath of air ever since the promo started. It was simply refreshing to watch an original film after the constant fatigue of Marvel instalments, re-boots of classics from the 80’s and biopics about every musician ever, over and over again.

Bullet Train is the first major Hollywood release since what feels like the beginning of the pandemic that isn’t dragging you to the theatre on the premise of ‘nostalgia’ or ‘crossovers’. Instead, it’s a huge production with A-list stars, highly hyped, that contains neither of the two. That’s been sorely missed.

Sure, it has its derivative moments. Director David Leitch leans heavily on his Deadpool 2 influences, while also seeming to draw from the likes of Guy Ritchie (The Gentlemen) and Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, Kingsman: The Secret Service). All three directors have a penchant for fast-paced, gorey, immaculately choreographed fight scenes, and there’s plenty of that to boot in Bullet Train.

While it takes a moment to adjust to the speed at which the film travels, you quickly sink into the rhythm of fast-witted dialogue, with quips so fleeting you’ll find yourself laughing five seconds after they’ve been spoken.

Brad Pitt plays a mantra and zen-obsessed dorky assassin called ‘Ladybug’—an utter juxtaposition of a man, but a fresh alternative from the cool, predictable protagonist. Meanwhile the charismatic pairing of Aaron Taylor-Johnson as ‘Tangerine’ and Brian Tyree Henry as ‘Lemon’ provide light-hearted entertainment, though the writers probably could’ve gone easier on the Thomas the Tank Engine references.

Joey King gives a standout performance as ‘The Prince’ in what feels like her debut as a serious Hollywood actress, with an incredibly convincing British accent (thank God!).

The ensemble of actors have fantastic chemistry and banter, which almost becomes the crux of the film as they all don’t get quite enough time to shine. One can envision the fan fictions that will be written just to accommodate for the mecca of alternative realities the characters could bring to the table.

The mythology and history behind the narrative was a little tenuous, but for a movie as self-aware of its silliness as this one, this can be excused.

But the question is: does it hold up as a good film in its own right when not just compared to the cinematic drivel we’ve been subjected to for the past 18 months?

When you combine comedy with gruesome action scenes, chuck in some A-list celebs and tasteful aesthetic direction, it’s always bound to be a winner—at the very least, a solid two hours of entertainment.