Film Review: "Bullet Train" (2022).

"The end of the line is just the beginning" in Bullet Train. This action comedy film directed by David Leitch, written by Zak Olkewicz and based on the 2010 Japanese novel Maria Beetle (published in English as Bullet Train) by Kōtarō Isaka. Ladybug, an unlucky assassin determined to do his job peacefully after one too many gigs gone off the rails. Fate, however, may have other plans, as Ladybug's latest mission puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries from around the globe—all with connected, yet conflicting, objectives—on the world's fastest train.

The film had been initially developed by Antoine Fuqua through his Fuqua Films banner. It was also originally intended to be a dark, violent R-rated action thriller in the vein of Die Hard (1988), but the project turned into a light-hearted action comedy in the style of Hudson Hawk (1991) during the development process. In June 2020, it was announced that Sony Pictures hired Leitch to direct the adaptation of Isaka's novel with Olkewicz penning the script. In July, Brad Pitt was attached to star. By mid November, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Benito A Martínez Ocasio, and Sandra Bullock rounded out the film's cast. Lady Gaga was originally cast as Maria Beetle. However, she eventually dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with House of Gucci (2021). At the same time, with a budget of $90 million, principal photography commenced and wrapped in late March 2021. Filming took place at the Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California, as well as Tokyo, Japan. According to the film's stunt coordinator, Greg Rementer, Pitt performed 95% of his stunts in the film. The film was originally scheduled for an April 8 2022 release date, before being delayed to July 15, 2022, then again to July 29, and then to August 5.

The film stars Pitt, King, Taylor-Johnson, Henry, Koji, Sanada, Shannon, Ocasio, and Bullock. Pitt has never been better as he throws punches in all directions and his comedic skills are spot-on. There's still entertainment to be had as Pitt goes through his usual leading man routines, but here he uses comedic chops more than gun and/or hand-to-hand combat techniques. Pitt's rapid fire delivery is both hilarious and, at times, infuriating. But this is still a laugh-out-loud action romp.

Good set-up, well-shot, but Pitt never allows any villain to be much of a challenge for his character, which saps the tension. This fizzled brain-storm from the director of Atomic Blonde and the writer of Fear Street: Part Two - 1978 looks like a cinch for the first supplement to "The 50 Worst Films of All Time." A not-the-greatest-luck project that saw former stuntman and director David Leitch and star Brad Pitt for an action comedy thrill ride. The final result is a choppy all-star thriller that's obviously a truncated two-hour salvage job. It isn't as good as one would expect, but it moves quickly, has great stunts and special effects, and is a lot of fun.

Simon says Bullet Train receives:

Also, see my review for Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.