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Bullet Train -
Brad Pitt? A briefcase? Is this a Quentin Tarantino movie? No, but it tries to be one with its story involving rival hitmen, gang warfare, revenge, obscure pop culture references, unexpected use of food and drink, etc. The title refers to where all the action takes place, which is bound for Kyoto and from which the perpetually unlucky Ladybug (Brad Pitt) must retrieve that classic MacGuffin. Unfortunately, most of the passengers have an interest in the briefcase as well and are willing to kill to make it theirs, whether it's brother hitmen Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) or the school uniform-clad Prince (Joey King).
For the most part, I do not love action movies inspired by Quentin Tarantino's work. Besides lacking their secret sauce, the average one tends to be too clever and smug for my liking, not to mention unsatisfying on an emotional level. While this one didn't change my mind about them, it has enough going for it that it held my interest until the end. Overly cute monikers are an annoying cliché of this subgenre, mostly because they tend to be the most interesting thing about the characters who have them, but whenever any of them appears on screen, I genuinely cared about what would happen to them instead of reacting how I usually do, which is "oh it's that guy, and if I remember correctly, he wants to kill that other guy." The all-star cast helps, as does getting to see everyone at their best and worst, which combined with Leitch's knack for directing a good action scene give the movie the added benefit of not being easy to predict. It also pushes the cameo button, but each one is inspired and it thankfully doesn't push it too much. There are also some pretty amazing special effects, including one where I was certain Ladybug's bad luck would finally get the better of him that took my breath away. Despite what I like about it, I still has qualities that make me remember why this isn't my favorite flavor of action. The movie does cameos right, but it does push the flashback button too many times for my liking, and the lengthy and staccato dialogue tends to be more long-winded than witty. Also, for being set in Tokyo, there is an annoying lack of Japanese people. Once again, this is a subgenre I side-eye, and even though I enjoyed it more than most, I'll continue to side eye it. If you're more tolerant of such movies than I am, though, that it's on Netflix (as of late 2022, anyway) is a gift.
Brad Pitt? A briefcase? Is this a Quentin Tarantino movie? No, but it tries to be one with its story involving rival hitmen, gang warfare, revenge, obscure pop culture references, unexpected use of food and drink, etc. The title refers to where all the action takes place, which is bound for Kyoto and from which the perpetually unlucky Ladybug (Brad Pitt) must retrieve that classic MacGuffin. Unfortunately, most of the passengers have an interest in the briefcase as well and are willing to kill to make it theirs, whether it's brother hitmen Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) or the school uniform-clad Prince (Joey King).
For the most part, I do not love action movies inspired by Quentin Tarantino's work. Besides lacking their secret sauce, the average one tends to be too clever and smug for my liking, not to mention unsatisfying on an emotional level. While this one didn't change my mind about them, it has enough going for it that it held my interest until the end. Overly cute monikers are an annoying cliché of this subgenre, mostly because they tend to be the most interesting thing about the characters who have them, but whenever any of them appears on screen, I genuinely cared about what would happen to them instead of reacting how I usually do, which is "oh it's that guy, and if I remember correctly, he wants to kill that other guy." The all-star cast helps, as does getting to see everyone at their best and worst, which combined with Leitch's knack for directing a good action scene give the movie the added benefit of not being easy to predict. It also pushes the cameo button, but each one is inspired and it thankfully doesn't push it too much. There are also some pretty amazing special effects, including one where I was certain Ladybug's bad luck would finally get the better of him that took my breath away. Despite what I like about it, I still has qualities that make me remember why this isn't my favorite flavor of action. The movie does cameos right, but it does push the flashback button too many times for my liking, and the lengthy and staccato dialogue tends to be more long-winded than witty. Also, for being set in Tokyo, there is an annoying lack of Japanese people. Once again, this is a subgenre I side-eye, and even though I enjoyed it more than most, I'll continue to side eye it. If you're more tolerant of such movies than I am, though, that it's on Netflix (as of late 2022, anyway) is a gift.