Steve buys a ticket and checks out Sony Pictures’ wild rollercoaster ride Bullet Train!
It’s time to board the Bullet Train. But can Sony Pictures’ latest offering deliver a fun rollercoaster ride?
As I have been watching movies in the theaters this year (and there have been quite a few) the trailer for this film has popped up in nearly every one. It seems that Sony was really pushing this film. The first few times that I saw the trailer, I had no desire to see this movie. It just seemed like another Brad Pitt vehicle to me. As the trailers continued, I started thinking it might be a fun popcorn movie. A few weeks ago, I went to the movies with my wife and she mentioned that she would want to see it. So, opening weekend, we went and watched it and I gotta say that this movie was much better than I had expected.
INSPIRATION
The movie was based on a Japanese novel titled Maria Bettle that was written by Kotaro Isaka. Like the book, the movie focuses on several different criminals aboard a Japanese bullet train that all wind up being interconnected. The cast was incredible. The main character, Ladybug, played by the aforementioned Pitt, is a veteran thief. One that has a long string of bad luck which continues on his ride from Tokyo to Kyoto while on assignment for a “simple” snack and grab job. Also included in the cast were Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, and many others. There are also some interesting cameos including one at the end that I won’t ruin the movie by mentioning here.
CRITICAL CRITICS?
So far, critics have not been kind to this film (unlike us). As of this writing, it has a 54% score on Rotten Tomatoes. And many critics are calling it a Tarantino knock off. While I see that it has similar directional choices to a Quentin Tarantino film, director David Leitch told this story in a compelling way. The action sequences were well spaced out and never at any time did I feel like the movie was too slow or that it was rushed.
If you haven’t seen this movie because you aren’t sure whether or not it is worth your time, I say that you really need to give it a chance. I am glad that I did.
Bullet Train is released by Sony Pictures and is playing in theatres everywhere now.
Author
Steve Long is a new addition to the Future of the Force roster. Aside from being a passionate Star Wars fan, he also co-hosts the Rogue One Radio Podcast. Follow him on Twitter where he channels his passion frequently!
