“Bullet Train ” had its premiere in Hollywood tonight, after having multiple international premieres. After the cast was introduced, Brad Pitt stood out, of course, in a dapper green suit (he wore a brown knee length skirt to the Berlin premiere) along with a burgeoning salt and pepper goatee.
The director, David Leitch, said, “We made this at the height of the pandemic before the vaccine. It was a crazy, cathartic experience for everybody. It’s been so much fun making it, and it’s been like a reunion these last couple of days.”
Leitch then paid tribute to the crew some of who were there. He thanked all the “reps who made the deals so that everybody could be on this stage.” He then enthusiastically added, ” Enjoy the ride, you have your whole seat, but you’re only going to need the edge!” Brad led the crowd to raucous applause.”
“Bullet Train “is based on the 2010 novel by Kotaro Isaka, “Maria Beetle,” which was adapted adeptly by writer Zak Olkewicz. Set to be released this Thursday August 5th, this high-octane film takes place in supposedly serene and polite Japan. But appearances are deceiving as we quickly find out. Pitt plays Ladybug, an assassin with extensive expertise. He desperately wants to get out of his chosen profession (he longs for Zen gardens) but keeps on being pulled back in.
On his one last mission, Ladybug is on a bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto to collect a briefcase. But Ladybug constantly laments over his lifetime of bad luck, and woe is him, there are plenty of other assassins that will fight to the death for the same silver case. The coterie of criminals includes Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Michael Shannon, Bad Bunny, Zazie Beetz and more. There are Easter eggs for everyone: eAs part of their deal from Pitt’s appearance in “The Lost City” earlier this year, Sandra Bullock plays Brads understanding “handler.” Channing Tatum also pops in and there’s a shout out to Ryan Reynolds hearkening back to “Deadpool 2.”
The atomic-paced action spirals out of control throughout, which is what makes this film one of those where you don’t want to go to the bathroom as you would miss some other twist. Brad’s quips are nonstop, the script is funny and clever. Brad has said the he and Leitch were both big fans of Jackie Chan and it shows, it’s an homage to the old-time beat-everyone-up-and-just-get-up action flicks.
“Bullet Train” is never boring, ridiculously silly at times but you don’t care that the film embraces gleeful and comic violence. Leitch’s movie is what it wants to be and more than succeeds. Pitt has his Oscar from “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” This is meant to be nothing more than a popcorn entertainment. “Bullet Train” is destined to be a fast-speeding summer hit for Sony.
