"Bullet Train" Moves Fast, Doesn't Go Anywhere?

Based on the novel by Kōtarō Isaka, director David Leitch (dir. Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2) brings to life an eccentric film about luck and karma. Set almost exclusively on one bullet train across Japan, Bullet Train evokes elements of Deadpool, John Wick, Kill Bill, and Murder on the Orient Express. The performances by the cast are entertaining enough, with recognizable talent popping in and out throughout the film’s 2-hour runtime, that they all bring some reprieve and levity to an otherwise prolonged story. However, the film cannot work cohesively to effectively deliver the cinematic nuance of the four aforementioned films, which can’t not have been influences for Bullet Train.

When adapting a novel into a screenplay, it is important to consider the fundamental tenet of filmmaking: to “show” and not “tell.” Unfortunately, screenwriter Zak Olkewicz leaves too much room for dialogue to the point where the dialogue rivals sequences found in an Aaron Sorkin project. That’s not a compliment in this instance. The dialogue overpowers the visual effect for a film that is so invested in flash and visuals. Choose one and emphasize it. Let the zingers zing when dialogue is needed. Let a tailored, uncluttered visual appeal drive interest when you’re not “telling.”

It could be seen as a feat that every other line competes for points in absurd yet relatable humor and cheek. Yet, everything gets lost when every line competes for dominance within a film so inundated with visuals. Then, the time starts crawling as one joke resembles another, and one shot looks like the next.

While the logistics and technical skills needed to pull off the action sequences in this film are indeed laudable to cinematographer Jonathan Sela, so much photography is overdone. Spinning, disorienting shots, for the sake of style, are edited too short of satisfying coverage that could otherwise be straightforward.

It’s evident the runtime was cut down on the editing room floor, and probably to no chagrin of editor Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir, whose task of editing such a massive, needlessly flashy film was undoubtedly a headache. In the moments that slow down, the cinematography speeds up. The fight choreography takes center stage in the moments that need some photographic flair. The overall effect is a Jackson Pollock finger painting; Nice from afar, disorienting up close.

What does work? The performances. All the performances are entertaining but just so bogged down by the sheer volume of dialogue and visual clutter that doesn’t show much, as everything gets told anyway. Brad Pitt portrays an ironic everyman who is refreshing in such action-heavy films. Pitt’s character “Ladybug” could be the fairytale equivalent to Keanu Reeves’s John Wick, a.k.a. “Baba Yaga.” Joey King slam dunks this role for its variety of performances. Bad Bunny is also very entertaining as the Wolf. The duo of Aaron Taylor Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry is bromance gold. Holding them all together? Some pretty great costuming.

David Leitch and Brad Pitt may be surprised at their film’s critical reaction. Perhaps they thought a cheeky action flick with everyman appeal set in Asia would appeal not only to American and Western audiences but also to the highly lucrative Asian market.