Bullet Train

Bullet Train ist ein gelungener Actionfilm ohne größere Ambitionen, in dem die eigenartige Vielfalt der eigenständigen Charaktere gut unterhält und vor allem Brad Pitt mit seinem "Einsatz" brilliert. Nur die Enthüllung des Hauptschurken und seine Motivation waren wie aus einem Film, der drei qualitative Klassen niedriger ist. Mit diesem aufgepeppten, angeblich coolen Stil und vielen Rückblenden ist es manchmal etwas überkompliziert und unaufmerksam, aber das war wohl beabsichtigt und nun ja, unterhaltsam ist es auf jeden Fall. (08.08.2022)

Bullet Train ist in der Tat ein flotter und blutiger Actioner, der von einem soliden Thema und einer hervorragenden Besetzung profitiert. Das Zugpferd des ganzen Films ist natürlich Brad Pitt, vor allem aber sekundiert ihm Brian Tyree Henry hervorragend. Wenn (oder besser gesagt, falls) sich der Zuschauer auf einen Erzählmodus mit vielen Rückblenden, übertriebener Action (ein bisschen mehr) und dem Aushebeln der Gesetze der Physik (was in Leitchs vorherigem Deadpool 2 verloren gegangen wäre) und manchmal unnötig geschwätzigen und selbstverliebten Charakteren einlässt, wird er diese blitzschnelle Fahrt mit dem Shinkansen-Zug sicher genießen. Mich persönlich hat das Geprotze und die überstarke Betonung des (schwarzen) Humors manchmal gestört, aber ansonsten habe ich Bullet Train sehr genossen. Nicht zuletzt lobe ich die witzigen Gastauftritte mehrerer bekannter Gesichter. P. S. Habe ich mir das nur eingebildet, oder haben die Filmemacher in mehreren Szenen eine unverhohlene Anspielung auf Sieben eingebaut? (11.08.2022)

Ladybug is an assassin in need of an easy job, so she boards a Japanese express train to find and steal a seemingly ordinary suitcase. Little does she know she's walking into a trap. There are more killers on the train, and soon blood is flowing. David Leitch delivers a very wild action comedy which, apart from the great action, offers an interesting and above all very attractively told story that alternates humour with drama and lots of crazy twists. Bullet Train is reminiscent of Guy Ritchie's gangster movies peppered with lots of shootings and fights. And although it loses a bit of pace towards the end, it's definitely worth getting on this train. (04.08.2022)

Rather than Tarantino, this is closer to a shabby Ritchie, unfortunately after a slight lobotomy. Too bad about the dumb explanation at the end, too bad about the repetitive dialogues between Tangerine and Lemon, which often weren't actually very funny, even though they tried to be very cool. Ritchie wouldn’t make those mistakes. But, given the director's name, you shouldn’t expect a new John Wick, the full-contact fights don't have that much juice and idea, and I could certainly do without the overdone conclusion with the shinkansen, where I just expected Tom and Jerry to come out of somewhere and start hitting each other with frying pans. But otherwise, the story was brilliantly conceived, it had a surprising twist, it all made sense by the end, and some of the scenes were so incredibly absurd and absurdly plotted that they were actually fine. Interesting postmodernism, which I wouldn't expect from a former stuntman. Of the actors, Aaron Taylor-Johnson shone the brightest, he's walking masculinity with acting talent. (22.08.2022)

David Leitch and an incredibly awesome ride. I was really looking forward to Bullet Train from the first announcement, it's right down my alley, but my expectations were even exceeded. Leitch hasn't just made a straightforward action ride this time, he's taken something from Tarantino and something from Ritchie, and together he mixed a genre-complex cocktail, one that reminds me of my favorite Kingsman, which the film comes damn close to in its stylishness, over-the-top intelligence, and fierce nature. Brad Pitt is a great choice, and as he's winding down his career, he's picked a terrific film for one of his final projects. He is a hired assassin suffering from bad luck, a very interesting element itself. He is tasked with stealing a briefcase on the world's fastest train, the Shinkanzen – the modern setting of the train itself is also a great asset to the film. But there are other dangerous people on the train, each with different but similar intentions, and their clash is royal fun. Bullet Train has incredible style, insane pacing, well-dosed black humor, a bunch of crazy but original and clever ideas, great actors – every single character here has plenty of room to show off and most of the time has a very impressive flashback background, which I appreciate, and the viewer can form a relationship, both the good and the bad, with each character. The soundtrack is also good, there are a couple of unexpected cameos that are meta. Plot-wise, the film is unexpectedly mature, there are a bunch of solid twists and turns, each better than the previous one; the whole thing is incredibly cleverly interwoven and everything fits together nicely in the end – I have a soft spot for this kind of stuff and on top of that there's great fun R-rated action – the finale is pretty brutal (a train derailment scene that even Emmerich would approve). The last time I had this much fun was with Suicide Squad and Kingsman, all three films have R-rating, proper fun and tremendous style in common. I look forward to going again. Ps: I was really blown away by the water bottle scene – which has its own story here!!! Story 5/5. Action 5/5, Humor 4/5, Violence 4/5, Fun 5/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 5/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 4/5, Emotion 4/5, Actors 5/5. 10/10. (07.08.2022)