No Pitt Stops for this Train

Bullet Train starts off like a Guy Ritchie tirbute movie, with a bunch of characters of varying degrees of moral dubiness sharing screen time and firing out witty dialogue. Over the course of the next two hours dead bodies rack up while things escalate to a massively OTT finale.

Brad Pitt leads the ensemble cast as newly peace loving former assassin "Lady Bird", looking to ease his way back to work with a simple pick up job. Unfortunately for him the train he boards is full of other dangerous types whose motivations we learn about via flashbacks all of who are entertaining and played well. Amongst others there's a father looking for payback on the person who pushed his son off a roof, a violence loving cartel killer and a scheming young women with big plans. Special shout out to Brian Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as likeable cockney hitmen Lemon and Tangerine. Pitt himself is effortlessly cool, managing to portrey his bad luck magnet (according to himself anyway) fixer for hire as simultaneously out of his depth and above it all.

There really isn't much to dislike about Bullet Train, its slick, well paced and acted with an interesting bunch of characters and fun cameos. If you have even a passing interest in this type of movie you are in for a good time, with the caveat that you need to be ready for a transition from low key action mystery to a ridiculous "how did anyone survive that" finale.

8 Tangarines out of 10 Lemons

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