Bullet Train | Fireworks for Brad! ★★★½

An unlucky assassin, whose several missions have been derailed, is determined to peacefully fulfill a new contract. Fate thus brings him to Japan, inside the high-speed train linking Tokyo and Kyoto, where he meets adversaries with divergent interests…

Marc-Andre Lussier
The Press

There is no logic to be sought in the story of Bullet Train. Truth be told, the story is completely secondary. This film adaptation of Maria Beetle, a novel written by the Japanese author Kōtarō Isaka, is rather carried by the charisma of the interpreters. Everyone visibly takes great pleasure in moving about in an action film whose spirit evokes both burlesque comics and a strong Tarantine influence.

Directed by David Leitch (Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2), who made his mark in the world of cinema by specializing in stunts (Leitch dubbed Brad Pitt for the first time in fight club), this supercharged thriller connects spectacular action scenes, perfectly choreographed, all the more captivating as they take place in a particular context, that of a camera camped in the fastest train in the world. We also multiply the winks and the gags, without being embarrassed to go into excess, just to indicate that nothing should be taken seriously. Unlike other action films where it is glorified, violence is represented here in a perfectly caricatural and wacky way. In this pure pop entertainment, Japanese versions of staying alive and Holding out for a Hero are even heard.

The assassin character played by Brad Pitt, a superstar whose career has been flawless for years, is at the heart of a story where the most incongruous situations follow one another, which he always approaches with this very cool approach, a bit like Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. The dazzling cast that surrounds it is also up to par. Let us mention in particular Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry, who form an unexpected tandem, Joey King, Hiroyuki Sanada, Bad Bunny, Michael Shannon, without forgetting the few surprise participations – very apropos – of unannounced stars…

Bullet Train (High-speed train in French version) is part of this kind of film from which we will remember practically nothing, except the adrenaline rush it provokes and the pleasure we will have had in it.

Thriller

Bullet Train (VF: High-speed train)

David Leitch

With Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson

2:06 a.m.
Indoors

★★★½