Review [SPOILER FREE]
The 2022 action-comedy Bullet Train was recently added to Netflix on December 2, and will be one of the most enjoyable new additions until Glass Onion is added on the 23. The film is directed by former stuntman-turned-action-director, David Leitch (Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2), starring Brad Pitt as the assassin Ladybug. The screenplay was adapted by Zak Olkewicz from the Kotaro Isaka novel of the same name.
Bullet Train follows 5 assassins on the same bullet train in Japan who start to discover that their missions are linked together. It’s a simple premise, and uses detail and character to make the simplicity refreshing rather than dull. Trains in film have always been a setting that blend the idea of isolation (Murder on the Orient Express) with meetings by chance (Strangers on a Train), making it perfect for this story. It weaves themes of fate and luck into this story of seemingly-random encounters, which plays into the building tension as the assassins start to realize nothing is what it seems.
Pitt’s performance is expectedly brilliant as Ladybug, but the show is really stolen by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry as the charming killers, Tangerine and Lemon. Tyree Henry’s obsession with Thomas the Tank Engine drives many of the comedic beats in the film; he also provides serious character background through his ability to read people as trains from the show. Some audiences went into the film ready to dislike Joey King from previous performances, but she is perfect as the cunning Prince, whose disarming youth hides an absolutely brutal interior. Hiroyuki Sanada and Andrew Koji are excellent as a father-son team whose destinies are unclear at first but play strongly into the third act of the film.
The film merges comedy into the action-thriller through both dialogue and physical action. Leitch’s stuntman experience shines through as his fight scenes are both character moments and comedy simultaneously. The banter between Tangerine and Lemon is much of the film’s heart, and becomes the thing most missed after the movie is over. At some moments, this action-comedy blend felt a little clumsy trying to walk in the footsteps of directors like Guy Ritchie (The Gentlemen), but forged enough of its own path to feel refreshing and welcome. In a strange era of film where everybody wants to make computer-rendered action movies with Marvel Studios quips, it’s nice to see something with a little finesse, an action-comedy with a purpose.
Discussion [SPOILERS AHEAD]
The most disappointing thing about Bullet Train is its third act and ending. What begins and continues through much of the second act as a clever fate-driven thriller with unique assassin characters, suddenly devolves into a mess of CGI fires, lens flares, and an entire half-hour’s worth of acting in front of the green screen. The story and the physical train itself go off the rails at the same time. Looking at early drafts of the script confirms what is suggested by the entire buildup of the movie: this finale is not what Olkewicz had in mind. It was likely a studio decision to make a big visual spectacle, and an unfortunate one. The film’s visual aesthetic and thematic elements had been rock-solid until that point. The mess that is the film’s last half hour attempted to sell the film as a blockbuster action flick, and succeeded in making it blend in with every other.
Some moments had huge potential for interesting story twists that aligned more with the film’s setup, but fell short. The Diesel sticker moment where Tangerine realizes the Prince is not who she seems is a wonderful payoff of the Thomas dialogue and the bond of trust between Lemon and Tangerine, until moments later when it doesn’t matter that the sticker was there because Tangerine dies anyway. Although in line with the questions of luck and fate that are woven into the film, the moment invalidates a satisfying character-rooted revelation in favor of adding more twists. Similarly, the White Death’s refusal to accept his inability to control fate is brought up during the ending sequence but doesn’t materialize. The Russian roulette moment provided the perfect opportunity to end him in a way that paid off the setups around fate and fear, but he is killed in a big, expensive fight sequence.
The post-credit sequence seems like a clumsy addition that also stemmed from the studio’s attempts to cash in on trends from Marvel movies. It could have easily been incorporated into the ending to show Lemon driving the truck, and would make more sense that way.
Regardless of the ending sequence, the talent behind this movie elevates its voice above the chatter of modern action films. Zac Olkewicz’ ability to create smooth and fast action on the page suggests a promising career of action writing. The directing and visual elements of the film were unique and heightened an already promising idea into an enjoyable watch. If the creatives behind Bullet Train had been able to keep a more subtle and interesting ending, it may have cemented itself as an action classic of this decade.