Get on board a fast-moving bullet train in Japan for this thrilling ride where five assassins find out their missions have something in common.

My eyes may have rolled a bit when I first saw the title of this film which perhaps surprisingly was not changed in Japan to its native word. I guess ‘Bullet Train‘ is still simple and understandable enough for the the Japanese market and it makes it clearer that this is no domestic release.

Far from it in fact as the locals would be foriven for being confused about this movie being set in Japan as very little is recognisable. That’s because absolutely none of it was filmed in Japan, probably due to all the red-tape which is involved for international productions wanting to shoot scenes here. Instead, it was all shot in North America with a few stock file images thrown in here and there. It does not even try to replicate the real Tokyo or the inside of a typical bullet train. Visitors to Japan expecting to see some of the things in this movie may well be left disappointed!

Overall this is a very stylish film with a great cast playing some quirky characters who are either named after animals, bugs or fruits, or are given archetypical names like the Father (Andrew Koji), the Elder (Hiroyuki Sanada), the Prince (King), and the White Death (Michael Shannon).

Warning: Contains spoilers!

Director David Leitch never lets this film slow down for a minute. It’s told in a non-linear format and there are twists and turns aplenty with flashbacks filling in all the gaps. I really enjoyed the ride and thought it struck a fine balance between the gruesome violence and dry humour.

Veteran assassin Ladybug (Brad Pitt) is in Tokyo on board a bullet train for one last assignment (a well-worn trope of movies) before he gets out of the business for good. He  soon discovers that he’s not the only assassin on that particular train. There are others with similar related objectives and, as the train hurtles along the tracks at high speed, it becomes apparent that not everyone is going to make it out alive. Trying to figure out who’s pulling all of the strings behind the scenes makes for an exciting build up to the climax.

Pitt is absolutely fantastic and convincing as the bucket hat and bespectacled hitman  cursed with bad luck in this fast-paced film. It’s full of quick-witted banter and he has some great one liners throughout, as indeed do Lemon (Bryan Tyree Henry) and Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) whose long-lasting friendship is endearing. All in all it doesn’t take itself too seriously but there are probably a few too many Thomas the Tank Engine references throughout. It was fun to hear them at the start but it did grate on me a bit when they continued to be used.

As someone who’s lived in Japan for a long time now it would be remiss of me to not pick a few faults with the trains not that it really matters at all as they haven’t tried to replicate the real Japan in any way. The train sets off from Tokyo at nighttime and arrives in Kyoto  the following morning but in reality there are no overnight bullet trains as they stop running around midnight each day. Also, Mount Fuji is seen after leaving Shizuoka station but it’s usually seen before it.

I couldn’t tell you what most of the music was (apart from a few obvious tunes including  ‘Stayin’ Alive‘ by the Bee Gees!) but that matters not. What’s important is how it was used and it’s effectiveness and appropriateness. It all adds to the stylish production of this film which clocks in at 127 minutes, and very rarely goes off track for anything too unncessary. The whole story goes faster than a speeding bullet (train)!

Tokyo Fox Rating 8/10