The Masked Cinema 2022 - Bullet Train

Bullet Train is the latest BIG ass blockbuster to land in 2022! Starring Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Benito A Martínez Ocasio, along with Sandra Bullock, in this comedy, action 126 minute film.

Pitt stars as an assassin who has to deal with enemies while riding a Japanese bullet train. The film is directed by David Leitch based on a screenplay by Zak Olkewicz that adapts the Japanese novel Maria Beetle (published in English as Bullet Train) by Kōtarō Isaka.

Bullet Train opened in Paris on July 18, 2022, with the film being released in OZ last week.

Fun fact! Sandra Bullock joined the following year in February to replace Lady Gaga, who dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with House of Gucci.

Critically on Rotten Tomatoes, Bullet Train sits at 54%, while traditional film critic, Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times rated it 3.5 out of 4, calling it "wildly entertaining" and praised the performances, "the creative and blood-spattered action sequences" and most of all the writing. 

Whilst Peter Debruge of Variety wrote: "Bullet Train feels like it comes from the same brain as Snatch, wearing its pop style on its sleeve — a Kill Bill-like mix of martial arts, manga and gabby hitman movie influences, minus the vision or wit that implies."

Either way I enjoyed the film from around thirty minutes in. The first thirty it needed to settle, set up the mood. Will it win any awards? Hell no. Was it the best film I have seen of 2022? Hell no. Would I recommend to others? Well if you like action, Pitt and some silly humour with a splash of violence, why not.

Bullet Train is a disposable box office film, however it had enough edge for a pass mark of 2.5 much cleaner Bullet Trains than any Sydney Trains currently on the inner city network.