Not quite a "10" , but pretty darn close if you're looking for a fun actioner, where even some of the "bad" guys are kind of likeable, and the lead (Pitt's "Ladybug") is pretty much perfectly cast. Based on Kotaro Isaka's best selling novel, the film version does take some liberties with the characters as far as their ethnicities are concerned, as well as (IMO) the only glaring miscasting of the big bad which lacked believability, and caused me to briefly discard my suspension of disbelief, but overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, which I can wholeheartedly recommend. Hiroyuki Sanada is ALWAYS a welcome addition to pretty much any film he's ever been in, as is, of course, Miss Congeniality herself, Sandra Bullock, although she is used sparingly as "Ladybug's" handler.

The rest of the supporting cast, especially ("Kick-Ass" Himself) Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry are comically villainous counterpoints to Pitts charmingly successful but at times unlucky character, and, I liked the way the story intercut their backstories to tie their present situations all together. Again, if you're looking for Shakespeare, best catch another train, but if non stop comic mayhem is what you seek, grab a ticket, and take a ride on the this express train to chaos-town.

@Lazo - .....or, action-wise at least, a more gender mixed version of "Gunpowder Milkshake". ;-)

Yeah I mean, it is very much _that_ movie. If you want my unfiltered opinion: it's glossy & loud, it's discount Tarantino/Ritchie, it's engineered to be forgotten about almost instantly, it's very Youtube reviewer friendly, it’s edited for people with no attention span, it’s postmodern and cringy; it's all of that. It's aiming to be a 6, and I was kinda expecting it to hit that target given how much I was into David Leitch' previous directorial effort. Unfortunately, this is hampered by the fact that it very much feels like a product of the pandemic. I'm pretty sure everything was shot on sound stages, and you can really tell, because the effects are dogshit. The same goes for the action, most of it feels like it was choreographed based on what was possible for the day. It's a shame, because good visuals and punchy action are two of the key ingredients if you want to make this kind of movie work. Now, its biggest saving grace are the characters and some of the comedy. I think most of the characters are quite well done and colorful (props to the writing and actors), especially the duo played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree-Henry (again, even if they feel like they walked straight out of a Guy Ritchie movie). It did make me laugh occasionally, but there's also a lot of cringe in it, especially with its obnoxious use of bathos and cameos by people I didn't need to see. I'm also getting pretty sick of the Marvelization of movie dialogue, I could’ve sworn some of Pitt’s lines in this were written with Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool in mind. The story itself is a mess pretty much right from the start and completely flies off the rails in the third act (no pun intended). I'm not sure if that's due to the writing or editing though. In true Tarantino fashion it's told out of order, but here it doesn't enhance the experience in a positive way. I don't know, I'd wait for this to appear on streaming, it's only occasionally fun and not really worth of the big screen.

4/10

Such a blast!

Personally, I wasn't expecting much from 'Bullet Train' at all. The (most overplayed) trailer didn't fill with me with much interest and I thought the bullet train aspect would be gimmicky and perhaps even too limiting. However, to my surprise it's the exact opposite to all that. It's supremely entertaining and very amusing!

I love the whole style of the film, the editing is top notch. the bloody visuals are class and the music is superbly chosen - every track hits. Then you also have an excellent cast. I thought, again based on the trailer(s) that I saw, it would be a run-of-the-mill Brad Pitt feature, but his performance is terrific throughout.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry are a quality double act, I thought their accents and dynamic would get tiresome but if anything I enjoyed them the more I saw them - funny guys! Joey King was the only character I wasn't sold on during the film, though by the end I dug her performance too.

Andrew Koji and Hiroyuki Sanada are also very good, while Michael Shannon, Benito A. Martínez Ocasio (aka Bad Bunny) and Zazie Beetz are welcomed cast members as well. There are also a few other noteworthy people involved, including two that Pitt knows well from a different 2022 flick. Seriously, what a cast!

If I had to mention one gripe, it would be the run time/pacing - this is me nit-picking, though at like one or two (no more than that) moments I did feel like it wasn't paced incredibly. Again, no biggie though. All in all, I most definitely had a great time with this and would certainly recommend it.*

*still, if you want an even greater film set entirely on a train then you gotta check out the outstanding 'Source Code' - one of my favourites!

Premise - 17/20 - I was definitely opting in early based on the premise and the trailer. I could always use a good original action movie with a good cast.
Cast/characters - 19/20 - I knew most of these actors, so that was a good start. It was great to see Joey King hold her own against the big boys. I love her! Quite the diverse set of characters, and they all had a back story. You know it's a great ensemble when no one person takes over the movie.
Story - 17/20 - Don't look away, that's all I'm saying. So many character stories all coming together a bit at a time.
Dialogue - 18/20 - The sarcasm ran rampant, and the intelligent discussions were enjoyable. You can really learn about the paradigm of Thomas the Tank Engine.
World-building - 15/20 - You don't have to understand or learn anything to get this movie, but the incredibly complex storyline forces the viewer to get engrossed in the characters' lives really quickly.

86/100 - 4.5/5 stars - It starts quickly and it goes fast. As Ferris would say, "If you don't stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it." I loved it and I know I'll be watching it again.

I went into this film totally blind and had a blast. An over the top action film with a Guy Ritchie-esque story and style? Sign me up. The writing was clever, there were plenty of genuine laughs, the performances were solid, and the action scenes that tied it all together were creative and fun. Brad Pitt was dependable as always, but the real standouts for me were Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry as Tangerine and Lemon. Their hilarious duo provided the most entertaining and fully fleshed out B-Plot, with stellar performances and humor/style to spare.

I did have some small issues with the film, especially in the final act. The big action set piece was way too much for my tastes, crossing the line into over the top Marvel-esque action that clashed with the rest of the film. I have to believe they could have come up with a clever, smaller scale finale that wouldn't need to resort to such a meaningless CGI fest (and save millions in the process). Additionally, and perhaps relatedly, the dialogue and performances during that portion of the film weren't quite as solid as everything prior. I don't know if it was the writing or the performances, but even Brad Pitt felt flat with some of his deliveries in the last 20 minutes.