Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Bullet Train 

This film is so freaking fun! Now David Leitch has crafted a truly entertaining popcorn flick that will have you laughing and on the edge of your seat the whole way through. It has truly fun characters with such solid performances you can’t help but leave the theatre with a huge grin on your face. No this film isn’t going to win the Oscar but it’s a fun popcorn flick and it recognizes exactly what it is a fun action filled picture and I had a damn good time with this film. 

Firstly, Now this film has been getting compared to Pulp Fiction for its quick witty dialogue and as I can see the influence that film has from it this is its own thing and I feel it’s unfair to think someone owns a style just because their known for it as Quintin Tarintino is an amazing filmmaker and is widely known for his incredibly wordy dialogue for his characters he doesn’t own that style. Witty dialogue has been a format in films for ages and I feel the screenwriter Zak Olkewicz deserves credit as the film is structured greatly and has explosive dialogue that will have you hooked. Now this film takes place all within the setting of a train and it works so well by keeping the action and it’s characters in a single setting and just fleshing out all of these explosive set pieces and fun people in the one setting it takes place on. As you get to see all the other compartments and parts of the train while all this hectic craziness happens around them and it’s done greatly it never feels lazy or underdone. The style this film goes for is also fantastic as it never takes itself seriously it knows exactly what it is which is a fun action filled popcorn flick. As it walks a fantastic line between comedy and action they meld well perfectly in this well balanced combination that results in genuine laughs and edge of your seat action that will have you engaged the whole way through. Now this film has a 54% on rotten tomatoes which I cannot understand why this film is easily a 79% at the least because it’s not some thought provoking piece on cinema that has heavy tones of Social commentary sometimes people just wanna have a fun time being transported to a fun adventure and that’s exactly what Bullet Train provides in spades. It’s very stylistic in its execution what I mean is that it explodes in such a splash of colour you cannot ignore as the only flaw i would give the film is that it sets up a lot of introductions for each individual character and trust me it’s incredibly cool to watch but it does slow down the momentum of the film at times by doing so. That being said it goes a mile a minute with its well structured character arcs and well choreographed fight sequences it is definitely the most fun I’ve had at the theatre this year it’s pure thrills and David Leitch gives a fantastic pulse pounding ride with terrific performances. 

Secondly, The performances from the whole cast are splendid. You have Brad Pitt stepping back into that traditional action star personality he’s known for and gives a fun and surprisingly well timed comedic performance that just leaves a huge grin on your face. You also can tell he’s just having a blast with this character onscreen and then next to him you have the criminally underrated Aaron - Taylor Johnson who delivers a scene stealing performance as Tangerine he very much reminded me of Steve Buscemi in Reservoir Dogs he has that spirit of Mr Pink and it isn’t a direct ripoff but it felt very much in the same vein. He has this dry and quick wit about him that made him insanely likeable and incredibly charming all the while chewing up the scenery in a truly terrific performance. Then you have Brian Tyree Henry who also provides a fantastic performance now this actor has popped up in small roles in film but he’s most notably known for his work on the FX series Atlanta but he’s proven to be quiet the solid actor from his work in the last couple years. He plays Lemmon a Thomas the Train fan that Molds the lessons he got from that show into his day to day life which sounds hilarious and it is but actually provides very deep meaning behind it in an affective way. Brian Tyree Henry’s scene partner for much of the film is Aaron Taylor - Johnson who both of which have explosive chemistry together they make for such a dynamic pair often resulting in hilarious moments in the film. Brian Tyree Henry tho stands tall on his own with his performance though and provides a hilarious and at times heartfelt performance that is so damn fun to watch. The rest of the cast is fantastic with a truly fun performance from Joey King giving this sinister and fun filled performance of unpredictability that oozes charisma. Everyone gave truly fun performances and you’ll love each character for different reasons it’s truly a stacked cast giving their best. 

Lastly, Bullet Train is aware of what it is a stylistic blood soaked thrill ride with amazing comedy and edge of your seat action that will have you enjoying every moment of this film. If it’s from the fun characters to the well done fight sequences Bullet Train is the most enjoyable film of the summer and a true blast to be had. I recommend everyone go see this film it’s pure popcorn fun. 

This film centres around a man that goes by the name Ladybug who is trying to be not as violent as an assassin and is thrust into a situation when he’s onboard a bullet train where everyone is after the same thing 

Rated R : Pervasive Language|Brief Sexuality|Strong and Bloody Violence

Brad Pitt : Brad gives a Damn fun performance in this film! Now Pitt has made quite the comeback since 2019 when he gave one of his most critically acclaimed performances with his work in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and then went on to do The visually stunning Ad Astra and then his small but hilarious role in the Lost City. But we haven’t seen him channel that action star persona he did so brilliantly back in the 90’s when he did stuff like Seven, Snatch and even Fight Club we haven’t seen that old personality he used to give us in quite some time and here he brings that and so much more in a performance that you can tell he’s having an absolute blast. He plays this assassin who’s at a point in his life where he just doesn’t want to hurt people anymore and honestly it’s the funniest thing to give a character of this nature and it makes for fantastic comedy but also is quite touching in a sense. Brad Pitt is able to deliver both the laughs and the action persona you’d expect and he doesn’t disappoint as when he comes onscreen you can feel the charismatic energy that’s vibrating though this character. He pops through the dialogue in such a energetic way that seems genuine and the laughs feel earned and well timed and that’s also a testament to his strength at his comedic talent. And then he can switch it into high gear with his action star qualities And just command the screen with sheer force and it’s such a fantastically well balanced act he plays. He has such a fun time at relishing in this character and you can tell now this isn’t going to be on Brad Pitt’s all time best performances but it’s a Damn fun performance where he is the most relaxed I’ve seen him onscreen in a long time where he lets loose and just makes you smile and showcase genuinely brilliant comedic timing. Brad Pitt delivers a truly entertaining performance that mixed comedy and his action star persona so well together you can’t help but have a fun time of what he’s giving onscreen. 

David Leitch : Leitch gives a Damn fun film with Bullet Train. He showed us with Atomic Blonde what he can do in terms of action And it’s been amazing so far what I’ve seen. As Atomic Blonde wasn’t a perfect film by any stretch in terms of plot the action tho was the highlight of that film. Then he showed with Deadpool 2 what he could do in terms of a big property name like that and he also delivered the goods with it as well and so to see him since 2018 with another action flick you could say I was excited. So seeing what he did with Bullet Train I was very happy as he knew exactly what this film was and never tried to be something that it wasn’t and for that I respect the hell out of that. As this is a high wired action comedy that he blends both well and it results in this enjoyable popcorn flick that’s a Damn good time. He is able to show this entire setting in a single location and utilize it and really explore all the different cars attached to this one train and really present an engaging sorry within this single location. It never feels drawn out or silly but it works for what it’s trying to be which is a race against time. All the while crafting well fleshed out characters that have engaging backstory’s and then sprinkling it with well crafted action and it’s truly one of the best films of the summer. He also gets solid performances out of his entire cast and truly delivers on all fronts with the comedy, action and just a fun time Bullet Train is once again another knockout of the park by David Leitch in a solid directed action comedy.