Brad Pitt’s latest movie Bullet Train has landed and has received a whole load of mixed reviews – including comparisons to Tarantino movies.
Bad boy heartthrob, Brad Pitt is no stranger to big, Hollywood, gunslinging, fist-flying action films. And David Leitch’s Bullet Train, is no exception.
Bullet Train follows Ladybug (Pitt), an unlucky assassin who plans to execute his new mission with peace and tranquillity.
However, fate, and several other assassins, make this plan hard to stick with. Everyone on board has a mission, however conflicting for the others, and they must all complete it by the final stop on the Bullet Train.
The film is an adaptation of a 2010 novel by Kōtarō Isaka and was originally meant to be an R-rated action thriller. However, it was turned into an action comedy during development.
Bullet Train Reviews
Bullet Train has received many mixed reviews since it aired in cinemas on August 3, 2022, being compared to Tarantino movies, among others.
Bilge Ebiri of Vulture wrote that ‘Bullet Train feels like someone crossbred Kill Bill with a Final Destination movie.’
Many other critics have likened this Bullet Train to a Tarantino-esque movie. However, critics do not see this film as being on par with Tarantino, but trying (and failing) to emulate his filmmaking style.
Don Kaye from Den Of Geek said: ‘The idea got stale fast as one Tarantino wannabe after another tried and failed to emulate the original. The film thinks it’s being clever, but… cartoon-y violence was a lot better back when QT was first doing it.’
In keeping with the narrative of the mixed review, on Rotten Tomatoes, Bullet Train has a 54% critic rating, but a 77% audience rating.
One reviewer positively wrote: ‘The actors look to be having a blast, and the many laughs rolling through my small screening showed the audience having just as much fun. This movie is a big, bold action comedy that pulls no punches.’
However, a different critic added: ‘With its colourful but two-dimensional cast and constant flashbacks alongside shock reveals, this surprisingly talky film comes off as a salute to Guy Ritchie and Tarantino imitators.’
The Guardian gave this film a mere two stars, calling it ‘unexciting’ with ‘uninterestingly choreographed fights’.
Despite these more negative reviews, the film still topped the North American box office, making some $30 million.
Bullet Train Cast
It may be argued that this film’s star-studded cast is the reason it did so well, rather than its script or plot.
Aside from Pitt, Bullet Train sees Joey King (The Kissing Booth) as ’The Prince’, Sandra Bullock (The Proposal) as Maria Beetle and Hiroyuki Sanada (The Last Samurai) as ’The Elder’.
The main comedy aspects of this film come from the duo, ‘Lemon’ and ’Tangerine’ played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass) and Brian Tyree-Henry (Atlanta).