Bullet Train

Overblown, epileptic postmodernism, or when the director of the most imaginative American action films of the last decade takes on a script that he wants to make into something more than action. The mix of Ritchie, Tarantino and Japanese culture can be seen at every turn, but it works at about half speed. (01/10/2022)

David Leitch and an incredibly awesome ride. I was really looking forward to Bullet Train from the first announcement, it's right down my alley, but my expectations were even exceeded. Leitch hasn't just made a straightforward action ride this time, he's taken something from Tarantino and something from Ritchie, and together he mixed a genre-complex cocktail, one that reminds me of my favorite Kingsman, which the film comes damn close to in its stylishness, over-the-top intelligence, and fierce nature. Brad Pitt is a great choice, and as he's winding down his career, he's picked a terrific film for one of his final projects. He is a hired assassin suffering from bad luck, a very interesting element itself. He is tasked with stealing a briefcase on the world's fastest train, the Shinkanzen – the modern setting of the train itself is also a great asset to the film. But there are other dangerous people on the train, each with different but similar intentions, and their clash is royal fun. Bullet Train has incredible style, insane pacing, well-dosed black humor, a bunch of crazy but original and clever ideas, great actors – every single character here has plenty of room to show off and most of the time has a very impressive flashback background, which I appreciate, and the viewer can form a relationship, both the good and the bad, with each character. The soundtrack is also good, there are a couple of unexpected cameos that are meta. Plot-wise, the film is unexpectedly mature, there are a bunch of solid twists and turns, each better than the previous one; the whole thing is incredibly cleverly interwoven and everything fits together nicely in the end – I have a soft spot for this kind of stuff and on top of that there's great fun R-rated action – the finale is pretty brutal (a train derailment scene that even Emmerich would approve). The last time I had this much fun was with Suicide Squad and Kingsman, all three films have R-rating, proper fun and tremendous style in common. I look forward to going again. Ps: I was really blown away by the water bottle scene – which has its own story here!!! Story 5/5. Action 5/5, Humor 4/5, Violence 4/5, Fun 5/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 5/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 4/5, Emotion 4/5, Actors 5/5. 10/10. (07/08/2022)

Overly verbose, long and overly complicated mess... Unbelievable even in the context of wacky comedies. It's nothing like a Guy Ritchie movie, though it wants to be, and it's a shame, mostly because of the impeccable cast, the good directorial ideas, and some really unexpected and funny moments that didn't go to waste or get lost in all that mess. (20/09/2022)

For me, Bullet Train will go down as the film that, at least for a while, shattered my belief that Hollywood just isn't for me anymore and that quality films are only made elsewhere. It was really nice to go home fully satisfied by this action-packed ride, which also had me laughing unexpectedly. Even though I love the shinkansen, I freely admit that after seeing the trailer it took me a while to convince myself to go and I even tried changing the choice of movie while buying my ticket. Gee, how glad I am my fellow moviegoers insisted. A brisk, funny, charismatic, suspenseful, eye-catching film. And even a samurai turned up... I couldn’t ask for more. (11/08/2022)

I expected a wild and exhilarating ride, but the result is even more frenetic in the cadence of ideas than my boldest imaginations. Whoever says that there is a lack of action must have confused platforms and boarded a train towards Stará Paka. In this Shinkansen, beloved narrative sources and styles alternate, where Kill Bill shakes hands with the more successful work of Guy Ritchie, while insane twists intertwine with absurd bloody splatters reminiscent of the old undertakings by Joel and Ethan Coen. In the end, at several points, I almost raised my hands to applaud with enthusiasm, as certain moments evoked a great euphoria in me thanks to a perfectly fitting cameo or the perfectly fitting soundtrack. The highest rating didn't come at first simply because it is a mix of genres that relies more on inspirations and quotations than on its own contribution, but it doesn't detract from the entertainment value at all, quite the opposite. (09/08/2022)