Review: Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock’s ‘Bullet Train’ takes you to mayhem on an express ride

Pitt leads an ensemble cast into some twist-filled action-comedy fun in “Bullet Train.” He’s a hoot as Ladybug, a quirky slacker hired to retrieve a mysterious briefcase that has been lost on a fast-moving train traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto. It’s easy peasy, right? There would be no movie if we acted fast.

In Ladybug’s Zen-following world, things get messy very quickly. In his words, “you put out peace, and you get it back.”. However, Ladybug is notorious for courting misfortune and leaving a bloody mess behind. The fates always have other plans for us.

He does not know that there is an assortment of lowlifes, scheming thugs, and schemers also aboard. Among them are the bickering British “twins,” Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), the Savile Row-wearing killer, and his blood brother Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry), a fan of “Thomas the Tank Engine.

” Lemon associates characters on the train with Thomas’ railyard friends (“I learned everything about people from Thomas”), and this becomes a running gag in Zak Olkewicz’s snappy script.

Among those on board is Joey King as a pink-clad sociopath, Hiroyuki Sanada as an aged sage, Andrew Koji as a distraught father, and Logan Lerman as the troubled son of a crime boss.  Zazie Beetz and Bad Bunny are assassins named The Wolf and The Hornet, respectively, and both have scores to settle.

It’s Masi Oka’s turn to be the conductor, and Karen Fukuhara’s turn to be the concession girl. Ladybug’s handler, played primarily by Sandra Bullock in “The Lost City” earlier this year, returns the favor, acting as Ladybug’s disembodied voice, guiding him.

The stuntman-turned-director David Leitch (“Deadpool 2,” “Atomic Blonde”) adapts the book of the same name by Kotaro Isaka with a Tarantino-meets-Ritchie flare.

The movie is full of violent energy and blood splatter surrounding the usual motives of revenge and hitmen beef (He killed my wife! You destroyed my family!) and focuses on the most feared crime boss in the city, White Death (Michael Shannon).

The more you think about it, the less original the idea is – a train full of hitmen trying to escape alive. You don’t want to be on “Bullet Train” if you’re squeamish. There are 17 dead bodies in one expository montage, lots of creative fight sequences in the train’s cramped quarters, and a poisonous snake on the loose. Be quick! Samuel L. Jackson needs to be contacted!

Pitt might be the main attraction, but Taylor-Johnson and Henry strike up dynamic chemistry. There are a couple of surprise cameos to liven up the neon-tinged trip a bit. Who’s left standing at the end of the line when Japanese versions of pop hits like “Stayin’ Alive” and “Holding Out for a Hero” are needle dropped? You’ll have to check it out for yourself.

Robert Poirrer

Robert Poirrer is a contributing author who covers Hollywood latest movie releases and web series for the MovieThop website. He has a decade of experience in writing movies based articles for numerous renowned media outlets. He is excellent at creating unique content based on emerging trends in a variety of categories especially entertainment, movies and lifestyle. When not writing articles you could find Robert enjoying mountain biking trips with his friends. He graduated in English Literature from North Carolina State University.