Bullet Train

Overblown, epileptic postmodernism, or when the director of the most imaginative American action films of the last decade takes on a script that he wants to make into something more than action. The mix of Ritchie, Tarantino and Japanese culture can be seen at every turn, but it works at about half speed. (10/01/2022)

I expected a wild and exhilarating ride, but the result is even more frenetic in the cadence of ideas than my boldest imaginations. Whoever says that there is a lack of action must have confused platforms and boarded a train towards Stará Paka. In this Shinkansen, beloved narrative sources and styles alternate, where Kill Bill shakes hands with the more successful work of Guy Ritchie, while insane twists intertwine with absurd bloody splatters reminiscent of the old undertakings by Joel and Ethan Coen. In the end, at several points, I almost raised my hands to applaud with enthusiasm, as certain moments evoked a great euphoria in me thanks to a perfectly fitting cameo or the perfectly fitting soundtrack. The highest rating didn't come at first simply because it is a mix of genres that relies more on inspirations and quotations than on its own contribution, but it doesn't detract from the entertainment value at all, quite the opposite. (08/09/2022)

For me, Bullet Train will go down as the film that, at least for a while, shattered my belief that Hollywood just isn't for me anymore and that quality films are only made elsewhere. It was really nice to go home fully satisfied by this action-packed ride, which also had me laughing unexpectedly. Even though I love the shinkansen, I freely admit that after seeing the trailer it took me a while to convince myself to go and I even tried changing the choice of movie while buying my ticket. Gee, how glad I am my fellow moviegoers insisted. A brisk, funny, charismatic, suspenseful, eye-catching film. And even a samurai turned up... I couldn’t ask for more. (08/11/2022)

Rather than Tarantino, this is closer to a shabby Ritchie, unfortunately after a slight lobotomy. Too bad about the dumb explanation at the end, too bad about the repetitive dialogues between Tangerine and Lemon, which often weren't actually very funny, even though they tried to be very cool. Ritchie wouldn’t make those mistakes. But, given the director's name, you shouldn’t expect a new John Wick, the full-contact fights don't have that much juice and idea, and I could certainly do without the overdone conclusion with the shinkansen, where I just expected Tom and Jerry to come out of somewhere and start hitting each other with frying pans. But otherwise, the story was brilliantly conceived, it had a surprising twist, it all made sense by the end, and some of the scenes were so incredibly absurd and absurdly plotted that they were actually fine. Interesting postmodernism, which I wouldn't expect from a former stuntman. Of the actors, Aaron Taylor-Johnson shone the brightest, he's walking masculinity with acting talent. (08/22/2022)

Overly verbose, long and overly complicated mess... Unbelievable even in the context of wacky comedies. It's nothing like a Guy Ritchie movie, though it wants to be, and it's a shame, mostly because of the impeccable cast, the good directorial ideas, and some really unexpected and funny moments that didn't go to waste or get lost in all that mess. (09/19/2022)