I knew the minute that “Bullet Train’ became No. 1 in theaters across the U.S. that I’d have to see it.
It might have taken me a week or two later, but it’s definitely worth all the hype and buzz.
Now, it’s swimming in eccentric assassins and gratuitous violence – so, if you’re not a fan of that action genre, you might want to skip it.
However, it’s right up your alley if you enjoy “Deadpool” (2016), “Smokin’ Aces” (2006), “Kill Bill” (2003-2004), and “Pulp Fiction” (1994).
This is the perfect film to just turn your brain off and enjoy watching all of the neon-soaked action partndered with a great soundtrack featuring Japanese covers of the Bee Gee’s “Stayin’ Alive” and Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero.”
Bullet Train is an action comedy film directed by David Leitch from a screenplay by Zak Olkewicz.
It is based on the 2010 novel Maria Beetle by Kōtarō Isaka.
The film stars Brad Pitt as a former assassin who must battle fellow killers while riding a Tokaido Shinkansen Hikari train.
In addition to Pitt, the Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Logan Lerman, Zazie Beetz, and Benito A Martínez Ocasio.
The movie is rated R for strong and bloody violence, pervasive language, and brief sexuality and is 126 minutes long.
In Tokyo, former assassin “Ladybug” (Pitt) boards a bullet train to Kyoto on a mission to retrieve a briefcase.
Unfortunately, the briefcase is in the possession of two assassin brothers, “Lemon” (Henry) and “Tangerine” (Johnson) who are escorting the briefcase and the son (Lerman) of the yakuza leader - White Death (Shannon) - to Kyoto.
Also on the train is Yuichi Kimura (Koji), a father out to avenge his injured son who was pushed off a building.
The would-be assassin is the “Prince” (King) who reveals to Kimura that she attacked his son to lure him on the train as part of a scheme to kill the White Death.
Ladybug retrieves the briefcase but is attacked by the “Wolf” (Ocasio) who mistakes him for having poisoned his cartel wedding party.
After a fight, Ladybug kills him and stashes the briefcase in the bar carriage.
Lemon and Tangerine discover the briefcase is missing and they return to their seats to find the son is dead.
Tangerine sets off in search of the culprit and briefcase and Ladybug catches Lemon alone and offers to return the briefcase in exchange for letting him go.
Lemon refuses and the two fight.
Ladybug knocks him out and puts a sleeping drug into his water bottle.
The Prince and Kimura find the briefcase and she booby traps it with explosives.
She also reveals that she has similarly booby-trapped Kimura’s gun.
Tangerine returns and wakes up Lemon and they resume searching.
Tangerine finds Ladybug and the two fight, but cease when the White Death demands another status update at the next stop.
Ladybug tries to parley with Tangerine who refuses as he plans to hand him over to the White Death.
All in all, Ladybug is just having the worst luck on this train ride and it’s worth sticking it out to the very end to see how he fares.
Plus, the explosions and fight scenes are just so much more epic on the big screen!
