Bullet Train (2022) User Reviews

Fun, funny and wild

[FeastMode · 8/10 · 3 August 2022]

This is a highly entertaining action-comedy that oozes style. It's extremely fun and a bit on the outrageous side, not meant to be taken too seriously. It's filled with funny and memorable moments. The action is awesome, well-shot and clear, which is no surprise coming from the guy who directed John Wick, Atomic Blonde and Deadpool 2.

There are a ton of characters and I like them all. The cast does such a great job, especially Brian Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. I remember first seeing Brian Tyree Henry in Atlanta and really enjoying that role. Since then, he has taken on vastly different roles and killed all of them. And I already thought Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a great actor, but the way he completely transforms into his character is remarkable. To the point where you don't see Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Literally. I didn't realize it was him until the credits rolled.

If I had to come up with negatives, I would say it's a bit hectic at times, but not enough to take me out of it. And the story borders on being convoluted, but I was able to follow it all so I'll call it intricate instead.

In the end I had a great time with this movie and would definitely watch it again, although I'll be turning on subtitles since some dialogue was hard to understand in a Snatch kind of way.

EDIT: On second viewing, my negatives disappeared. And a couple things that stood out even more: The music is beastly and Brad Pitt's facial expressions in the reaction shots are priceless. (2 viewings, early screening UltraScreen 8/2/2022, UltraScreen 8/17/2022)

Fast paced and fun

[RubyMouse · 7/10 · 3 August 2022]

If you're fed up of dreary Oscar contenders making points and taking an age to get to them, this is for you. Entertaining, fast paced, action romp with good set pieces and plenty of fun moments.

And to the critics: no, there is no "character development" and yes, the "plot" is not that believable. It's light entertainment not Samuel Beckett.

Style over substance

[MUFCOK · 6/10 · 8 August 2022]

I make a point of not watching trailers prior to watching a new film as experience tells me that rather than get me excited to watch a movie, they essentially give me an overly exposed look at a film with key plot points being shown. With this in mind, it was almost impossible to not see parts of trailers for Bullet Train, whether that was on TV or YouTube advertising etc. The marketing campaign for this film is mental, I have seen it everywhere.

The trailer makes the movie look like a massive bloated action piece - Think Nonstop meets Train to Busan. However, having watched a couple of YouTube film reviews, I was pleasantly surprised to see it described as not just a brainless action movie, but more of a dialogue-based film with clever writing and fast paced back and forth. One reviewer compared it to Guy Ritchie's Snatch and the classic Pulp Fiction - Two of my favourite and most watched movies. That was enough for me, I was going to give it a try and I booked a couple of tickets for opening day, something that I don't do very often.

Let's start with the Dialogue. If anything, it just tries too hard, far too hard. Most of the jokes didn't land for me and the delivery of the fast-paced dialogue quite often would not hit the mark. I can't quite but my finger on why that is. Is it simply poor writing? Or is it down to the delivery? Or is it simply that a number of my favourite movies are heavy, witty dialogue-based movies and my expectations were so high based on several reviews, that I just felt disappointed by this? Either way, it didn't really work for me.

As you can imagine, almost all the action scenes involved in this movie were delivered on a train, meaning that the fight scenes needed to be compact and tight. This was delivered better than I expected to be fair and plenty of the action scenes were enjoyable, if not incredibly farfetched.

The characters were relatively varied but were quite generic and cliché. Brad Pitt is essentially the lead actor and probably the best on show. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry (Tangerine and Lemon) were the characters which I was most excited to see, they played the east end cockney gangster/hitmen type characters. Unfortunately, they came across as just trying far too hard and the chemistry between them just wasn't as good as I imagine the director and producers thought it would be. The Thomas the Tank Engine metaphor also got repetitive after the 25th time it was mentioned. The rest of the cast are hit and miss, nothing majorly impressive and nothing majorly terrible. There are some strange cameos, and when I say cameos, I mean cameos. They literally get seconds of screen time.

Overall, Bullet Train was entertaining enough as a popcorn flick and was an inoffensive way of turning my brain off for two hours and relaxing. I do feel that it's a slightly wasted opportunity though as I can see what the director was trying to do, but it just felt flat and missed the mark on quite a few occasions. Style over substance is the best way I would describe it.

6/10.

I had so much fun wacthing this

[subxerogravity · 9/10 · 3 August 2022]

Rare seeing Brad Pitt in a movie like this but from what I understand the director is a good friend of his. It's an action movie the reads like Smoking Aces. An ensemble cast with a few different stories in it, of which, interestingly enough Brad Pitt's story as a man named Ladybug could be considered just as important as the others despite being the star.

Unlike Smoking Aces, the Bullet Train in itself is a character and a very expensive one that makes it a blockbuster. On top of that the very cool Celebrity Cameos that prove this director makes friends with everyone he works with in Hollywood.

The Japanese back drop was cool not just because I'm an anime fan but because it made the film and the bullet train visual amazing to look at, but Hollywood needs more Japanese actors who can speak English. Hiroyuki Sanada is become the Danny Trejo of the Far East.

Its action packed and its humorous everything I want when watching a movie in theatres.

A relentless two hours of chaos

[jtindahouse · 7/10 · 3 August 2022]

I can't remember the last time I saw a film as full on as 'Bullet Train'. It is two hours of relentless action. It's actually a little exhausting to watch (it didn't help that the theatre I saw it in was set to about 30 degrees Celsius - but that's a different matter) - in a good way though.

This is a very stylishly made film. It looks terrific. The acting is great and all the characters are very polished and cool as you would expect in a film about assassins. The train itself is an interesting setting too. It's technically a single-setting film but it never feels like it. The film moves so fast you feel like you are darting from country to country.

I would say the one let down of the film was how little of the humour landed. Time and again there was an obvious attempt at a joke and I just didn't find even a smile coming to my face. There are some laughs along the way, but the hit to miss ratio is way off.

It's a lot of fun this movie though regardless. There are endless cameos and twists and unexpected moments. The film certainly keeps you on your toes. 7/10.

Entertaining

[gbill-74877 · 7/10 · 2 January 2023]

Not the most restrained movie in the world, but a lot of fun. Loved Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry), with his adoration of Thomas the Tank Engine, and his ultimate fate (stick around for the credits). Brad Pitt espousing all the self-help stuff was pretty funny too. It's like a sloppy Tarantino knockoff, and it was hard to follow the overly complicated subplots at times. There were definitely holes, e.g. Why doesn't the White Death seek revenge on those who hired people like The Hornet or Tangerine and Lemon, instead of those characters directly? But this is less about a buttoned-up action film and more about comedy I think, and it made me laugh. It tried to have it both ways though, and themes like fate and luck were weakly developed. That said, sitting back and enjoying the wild ride wasn't such a bad thing.

A non stop thrillride

[Nagitokomeda · 8/10 · 3 August 2022]

This movie grabs you from the start and doesn't let go. Its an entertaining whirlwind of goofy character after goofy character, and awesome fight after awesome fight. Brad Pitt nails his leading role and everyone else does great.

The visuals of the film are fantastic- soaked in a beautiful neon glow. While soundtrack is fine but not too memorable outside of the film.

Overall, this is a great summer watch.

Last act spoiled it, and outstayed it's welcome

[whatgift · 7/10 · 10 August 2022]

The build up was great - good action, witty dialogue and a well set up mystery.

Then the last act came and completely went over the top, just being silly rather than fun, and spoiled the goodwill the movie had until that point.

Still a good movie, and a lot of great cameos, just wish it had kept the quality through to the end.

Stupid Fun...

[jonny_ · 9/10 · 3 August 2022]

I'll admit i've skewed my rating a bit, i've ranked it so highly rated based on the fact I knew what movie I was buying a ticket for. I'm not rating it highly because it's a modern classic, i'm doing it based on wanting to see a funny and entertaining action movie and in that respect it delivers pretty much everything I went to the cinema for.

The premise of the film is basic, the cast is solid, the characters are excellent including mini side characters. The humour has a few misses but generally it is a pretty funny movie throughout, they also pay off everything that is set up along the way which makes it a satisfying watch. Also if you are yet to see it, stay through the credits as it does tie up one or two of those loose ends.

The slight downside for me, were that the run time does sag a little toward the end but it is over 2 hours long and otherwise moved along at a steady rate.

Destination Unknown

[Xstal · 6/10 · 29 September 2022]

The opposite of the Orient Express, leaves Tokyo Central packed full of excess, a veritable carriage of fruits of all kinds, who's psychotic nature helps them to unwind, with pistols and knives this journey just thrives, most occasionally passengers, pay with their lives, as the train snakes around and its venom is cast, the destination defined by their fate and their past.

It's a crazy tale that could be described as Tarantino Lite, chugs along at a fair old pace, the dialogue and the characters keep it on the rails (most of the time), although you need several pinches of salt and to suspend your disbelief, but at the end of the day, if you want a well-made, mindless action adventure that's as forgettable as the last time you saw a ladybird or ate a tangerine, then why not.

An Overstuffed Monstrosity

[pgeary6001 · 5/10 · 3 August 2022]

It's clear a film is less than successful when an added scene pops up one or two minutes into the credits, and, rather than pausing to watch, the audience quickly glances up then resumes their escape from the auditorium as quickly as possible.

This film felt like it ran for days on end. It reminded me of a dinner we had in a tourist restaurant in Morocco where the courses kept coming and coming until we began to despair. And yet on it went...just look like this movie.

There was clearly a fair amount of technical talent that went into this turkey, but creative inspiration was noticeably absent. Instead of anything original, the viewer is subjected to an endless stream of sub-Tarantino and sub-Guy Ritchie guff that someone apparently thought was clever. Even cameos from Channing Tatum and a painfully face-lifted Sandra Bullock add zero to the experience.

In sum, this expensive fiasco is like an evening gown that incorporates $10,000 worth of material in a design by a JC Penney junior assistant: gaudy, vulgar and a colossal misfire.

Lazy writing, dialogue, massive plot holes

[phoneticnachos · 6/10 · 2 October 2022]

How dumb to they think the person watching this movie is?

First of all, live animals would be kept in a separate storage berth. There is protocol and procedure in Japan, when you board, and baggage checks.

Impossible to have a cage that open get through.

Secondly, the noise that is happening, all the crashes and broken things, the personnel working on the train would have to respond. After the Sarin gas subway attack in Japan in the 90's they have very strict anti-terrorism training,

When the guy breaks the back window, that would immediately trigger a pressure/derailment sensor, and the conductor would stop the train at the next station.

All of the other passengers just disappear when they are not in a scene. Count the people in the cars at the start of the movie, easily 55+. Yet non of them ever are shown to exit.

They couldn't even get one of the most obvious facts right about the snake venom, "The venom of the boomslang snake was analyzed and it was revealed that boomslang venom is highly potent and primarily is a hemotoxin.

Hemotoxins are toxins that destroy red blood cells, disrupt blood clotting and can also cause organ and tissue damage. Because boomslang venom is a hemotoxin it's not surprising that it can lead to major brain and muscle hemorrhage. But the venom also causes other symptoms like nausea, headaches and sleepiness. Perhaps what is most surprising is that this venom has the ability to make the victim bleed from every possible orifice. It is not uncommon for blood to seep out of the victim from the gums, nostrils, urine, saliva, stools, vomit and even through the tiniest of cuts. This is extremely unfortunate because the victim will continue to bleed until death and death from internal bleeding is a slow and lingering process that can take anywhere from three to five days.

One of the issues with boomslang venom is that symptoms emerge only several hours after being bitten. Because the venom is not fast acting, victims may not realize that they are at serious risk and require immediate medical assistance. Although records show that less than ten people have died from boomslang bites worldwide, this ought to not be taken lightly. Death came swiftly for Karl Schmidt, as he was found dead 24 hours later in his home from respiratory arrest and severe brain hemorrhaging. If Schmidt had known about the anti-venom his life might have been spared. It is imperative to act quickly otherwise Africa's most venomous snake might have the last laugh."

The snake isn't even the right color.

Some of the most entertaining exposition I've seen

[sarahrayburn · 8/10 · 3 August 2022]

I was not surprised this movie was as good as it was with the strong cast and budget. The humor and story telling were too tier.

The action was easy to follow and there were enough twists and turns that it didn't feel like 2 hours.

THE STORY NOT THE TRAIN WORE ME OUT...!

[masonfisk · 6/10 · 22 August 2022]

The current Brad Pitt stationary actioner (on a train?) in release. Pitt is a collector out to retrieve a steel briefcase on Japan's bullet train which he gets fairly easy & quickly but there are a smattering of shadowy figures (played by Brian Tyree Henry, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Joey King, Hiroyuki Sanada, Bad Bunny, Zazie Beetz, Andrew Koji) swirling about who engage Pitt at inopportune moments to make his cakewalk of a task anything but. Directed by Deadpool 2's David Leitch, the film finds itself in equal parts Tarantino/Ritchie land w/a huge dosage of CGI environments which give the film a particular sheen but eventually the novelty & chutzpah of the affair soon wears away & even Pitt's easygoing charm is lost in the neon colors & loud shebangs. Masi Oka (from Heroes) & Karen Fukuhara (from The Boys) show up as train employees & heavy hitters like Sandra Bullock & Michael Shannon make late stage appearances as key characters (although why the releasing studio would show Bullock in the ads kind of robs the astute viewer of a surprise).

Most fun I've had in a theater all year

[cardsrock · 9/10 · 4 September 2022]

Bullet Train is a nonstop thrill ride that delivers some of the most fun I've had watching a film in ages. Don't listen to the critics. This film is a total blast and will leave you wanting to see more from this universe.

Brad Pitt has the effortlessly cool thing down to a T and remains as charismatic as ever here. Taylor-Johnson and Henry are the other obvious standouts. Dripping in style, this film is exactly what I was hoping it would be.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much depth and creativity the story ended up having. There are lots of fun callbacks for viewers who pay close attention as well. The soundtrack has some absolute bangers too that got me pretty hyped at certain key moments.

The film wears its inspirations (Tarantino, Ritchie) on its shoulders, but still manages to carve out its own niche in the action thriller genre.

Snakes on a Train

[vandeman-scott · 7/10 · 5 December 2022]

Based on BULLET TRAIN's trailer, I was expecting a comedy action adventure film. In reality, it's a complete and total farce. I usually don't enjoy farce, but this movie is an exception. It's so well done that I was actually able to watch the whole thing. With a star-studded cast -- including lots of cute cameos -- it's a pretty enjoyable if improbable two hours.

Overall, everyone turned in fine performances. I especially liked Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Before BULLET TRAIN, he was unknown to me, but his turn in this movie was really outstanding. I hope to see him in another movie soon. The other standout was Joey King, who has been good in every movie I've seen her in to date.

I won't spoil, but near the end, there's a scene that put me in mind of a hilarious sequence from ARCHER in which the entire ISIS crew is being shot with beanbag rounds in slow motion. I haven't laughed so hard since, until tonight.

So much duplicity, tons of action, and lots of snakes inhabit this bullet train, and in spite of the full-on absurdity, it manages not to go completely off the rails. 7 stars.

If Guy Ritchie and Tarantino had a baby!

[craighartwell · 10/10 · 7 August 2022]

I was a little put off by other reviews showing on social media, but never the less I went to see this today and from the first few minutes in the whole cinema was roaring with laughter. The cast are phenomenal! Where Brad Pitt can carry a film by himself you find yourself rooting for everyone (almost) in the film. The writing is amazing the direction is beautiful highly highly recommend!

Choo Choo!

[BenW1999 · 8/10 · 3 August 2022]

A fun and crazy film full of twists and turns, incredibly surprised how this managed to scrape being a 15 UK rating with that amount of swearing and gore but still a fun, Deadpool-esque, film.

I wished it was better

[timmyhollywood · 6/10 · 24 October 2022]

As other reviewers have said, Bullet Train emulates Tarantino and Guy Ritchie films. Those auteurs really launched a whole class of films that mix some silliness with action, favoring lots of blood and squishy gore. At base, this film is no better or worse than those of its ilk. But the Tarantino and Ritchie films had novelty on their side. And at least with Tarantino, a sense of something richer, deeper beneath the surface. Bullet Train almost pathologically can't ever take it self seriously. Some films suffer by taking themselves too seriously; BT has the opposite problem.

Pitt is fine as ladybug, he's genuinely pretty funny at times, but his hapless character is the heart of the movie, and he's a bit of a dope, a therapy neophyte trying to see the deeper meaning of things, to be a better man, but only ever in an unserious way. Nothing really matters about him. Not even his wardrobe (is he going fishing later with that hat?)

Bullet Train is an action comedy, essentially, but the best action films and comedies always transcend the genre; Bullet Train does not, and will slide into the forgettable dust bin of movie history, cute little cameos or not.

Tries WAY to hard

[caseyniall · 5/10 · 3 August 2022]

This director has such a hard on for Tarantino and Guy Ritchie that the whole thing just seems like a piece of fan art made by a 15 year old. 'Jokes' don't land, story is not nearly as clever as it thinks it is, set pieces are ok but nothing to blow your socks off. Unoriginal, churned out money-grab.

5/10 is generous but Brad Pitt is pretty watchable and ok, I may have chuckled softly once, max twice.

good setup - nice try, but failed in the long run

[chris-haas · 6/10 · 3 October 2022]

It is like a cake gone wrong a bit: all the ingredients are there, still it is not tasty.

Especially in the first half of the movie I wondered if I were in a flat copy/mix of pulp fiction and kill bill - but the dialogues and story wouldn't start to sparkle, so it kept being flat ( - and even a bit boring, such a shame...)

the second half of the movie got weirder and a zig zag of twists but I got lost.

I liked the attitude written for Brad Pitt, I liked the twins (although again no sparkling - they tried so hard to be a witty and cool duo like in pulp fiction...), all the other characters were there too short to leave an impression.

So - nice try, but not really convincing.

Worth enough to spend 2 hours - but only once.

Odd reviews

[jfirebug · 8/10 · 5 December 2022]

Not sure what movie people watched... its a action comedy, they aren't known to be life-altering. By comparison to others in the genre however this is one of the good ones. Great comedic timing, nicely choreographed fight scenes and camera work. A lot of reviews mention a Ritchie likeness, to me it seems like a mix of Ritchie and Tarantino (Kill Bill).

People balk to quickly about storylines, pacing, acting, sound, etc... because they are writing reviews right? That's what they are supposed to do... but like probably a lot of them, I'm not in the business, I'm a movie watcher so I review based on what I know. Was I entertained? Yes, I was.

Bullet Train

[Prismark10 · 7/10 · 9 October 2022]

Bullet Train is like a Quentin Tarantino film on acid. It is frenetic with its constant explanation of the plot from different points of view.

It might not be entirely original but plaudits to director David Leitch for pulling it off and adding a few cameos in the process.

Ladybug (Brad Pitt) is a last minute replacement ordered to steal a briefcase on a bullet train travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto. Ladybug seems to be having some kind of a crisis of conscience regarding his profession and is also a magnet for bad luck.

The case is in the possession of 'brothers' Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) and Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) who are carrying the case for notorious mobster known as The White Death. They are also escorting his drugged up son.

The train also has some other sinister types ranging from a Japanese assassin to an English schoolgirl.

Ladybug finds that retrieving the briefcase is far from easy. He has tangled with some of the passengers in the past, one of whom has shot Ladybug twice.

The film is deliberately zany, cartoonish violence, some of the CGI is bad. I found it all rather enjoyable. Undemanding fun and my bottle of mineral water agrees.

Enjoyable light entertainment

[zentist-563-976986 · 8/10 · 28 September 2022]

Two hours of action and comedy with no evidence of cost cutting. Very enjoyable.

Not all of the comedy worked but there was enough good stuff to more than offset the bits that did not gel. It is all action and all comedy so you only need to wait a minute after a wet firecracker to get a moment that will make you smile.

Brad Pitt was clearly the big name for the movie and his performance was spot on for a movie like this one. I remember being at a film school workshop where a famous Director of Photography told us that the main instruction he received from the director of the movie (also famous) was to make the female protagonist look good in all her scenes. I have a feeling that Brad Pitt was aided by a similar instruction and it worked really well. He shone in all his scenes.

In summary, two hours well spent. Most of it with a smile on my face and with more than a few lol moments.,

Brad saves the train wreck

[treecircus1 · 6/10 · 29 October 2023]

"Bullet Train," is a visually stunning action thriller that excels in style but lacks substance. The plot feels tedious and the characters are hard to take any great interest in, Brad Pitt's charismatic performance saves the film from being a complete train wreck . With sleek cinematography and intense action sequences, the movie delivers an adrenaline-pumping experience. However, it is Pitt's magnetic screen presence that injects energy and keeps the audience engaged until the end. While "Bullet Train" may not deliver on all that it promises, it is worth a watch for fans of high-octane action and Pitt's puppy dog performance.