Bullet Train

Released in 2022 and adapted from a book of the same name, Bullet Train has sat on my watchlist for some time and is one I've been looking forward to. Directed by David Leitch, this would be the next in fairly impressive list of action films from the man who helped to create John Wick in 2014. His other films included Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2 and regrettably the lacklustre Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw but I went into this optimistic, hoping to enjoy some high-speed action. 

The story follows five different assassins who find themselves at loggerheads with one another while onboard a bullet train in Japan. They all have similar goals but the situation seems like too much to just be a simple coincidence and gradually they start to understand what has led them all to this moment. Or something similar to that extent; this is a difficult film to summarise. Needless to say, it's packed with blood and violence throughout. 

The best thing about Bullet Train is its talented cast who all do a great job of selling their distinctive characters, and who all keep the story moving along as fast as the train itself. It's also a visually slick experience but suffers with some rather obvious use of greenscreens and sound stages. Then there's the screenplay which tries to be as sharp and witty as Tarantino but just doesn't quite meet the mark and unfortunately started to become exhausting in its execution as the story jumps back and forth explaining what has led to the film's events in the present time. 

Bullet Train so desperately knows what it wants to be but comes away suffering from its lengthy running time and gags that miss more than they hit. The action can be fun, particularly in the final act and Leitch does a good job with some of the more dramatic beats which are sparingly interjected but some of the comedic moments cheapen the overall experience. I still had some fun with this but it's not the most memorable and will leave some ready for a break once the train finally reaches its destination.