BULLET TRAIN
Director: David Leitch Cast: Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Joey King, Zazie Beetz, Karen Fukuhara, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Michael Shannon, Logan Lerman, Kiroyuki Sanada, Brian Tyree Henry, Emelina Adams, Bad Bunny, Pasha D. Lychnikoff, Andrew Koji, Mosi Oka, Johanna Watts, Rebecca Lynne Morley, Andrea Munoz
Rating: (R16) ★★★★
REVIWED BY CHRISTINE POWLEY
Director David Leitch started his movie career as a stunt man and one of the stars he regularly doubled for was Brad Pitt. He then became a stunt co-ordinator before moving into directing.
One of his first directing gigs was Deadpool 2 and his old buddy Brad did a little cameo in it. It must have been a nice day on set as Pitt is now the lead character in Bullet Train (Rialto and Reading) a slapstick ultra-violent heist movie.
The omens are good, Leitch has proved he can handle comic violence and Pitt for all his matinee idol status is an effective physical comedian.
There is just one red flag, all the characters have ludicrous monikers, which hints at a tendency towards overblown silliness. In the end this stylishly over-complicated story takes its overblown silliness and owns it, so I mostly approve.
Pitt is Ladybug (I did warn you) a contract snatch and grab man who has been directed to the Japanese bullet train to retrieve one of those metal briefcases, which comes in handy later on when he needs to hit a lot of people in the face with it.
Ladybug quickly gets the briefcase but what was supposed to be a simple in and out job starts to unravel. The train is packed with rival players all after the McGuffin case. They also all have a back story, which the film is ever happy to pause for and have someone narrate.
All in all, a nice violent time is had by all, including the audience.
