Bullet Train

Despite getting some negative reviews I thought Bullet Train looked like a lot of fun so I went to see it at the Broadway last night (whenever a big release is shown at the Broadway I always try to see it there instead of a multiplex because I like supporting Salt Lake Film Society).  It was exactly what I expected it to be and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  A group of assassins, including Ladybug (Brad Pitt) and his handler Maria (Sandra Bullock), Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) and Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), The Prince (Joey King), The Father (Andrew Koji), The Wolf (Benito "Bad Bunny" Antonio Martinez Ocasio), The Hornet (Zazie Beetz), and the Elder (Hiroyuki Sanada), are all searching, unbeknownst to each other, for a briefcase containing $10 million on a high-speed train traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto.  Mayhem ensues!  The plot also involves a Russian leader of a crime syndicate named White Death (Michael Shannon) and his kidnapped son (Logan Lerman) which leads to a lot of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the explosive (literally) conclusion.  I loved the on-screen introductions and elaborate flashbacks for each of the assassins as well as the witty back and forth banter between them as they fight each other.  The action sequences are over the top, incredibly violent, and often implausible but they are certainly fun to watch, especially a long drawn out fight in the quiet car of the train.  Some of the accents are a bit suspect but I think the campy performances work really well and Pitt looks like he is having a ball.  This is nothing we haven't seen before (think Tarantino and Ritchie) and there is a cringe-worthy cameo at the end but I definitely found it to be wildly entertaining!  I recommend it to anyone looking for a fun night out and nothing more.