Bullet Train reviews are coming in, and critics seem to have had a blast with this stylish action flick. The film looks fun, funny, and action-packed from its trailers. With a star-studded cast along with these reactions, it sounds like audiences will enjoy this one when it releases this week (August 5).
The film is directed by David Leitch (Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw). Based on the novel by Kôtarô Isaka, Zak Olkewicz (Fear Street: Part Two – 1978) penned the adaption that follows five assassins on a train for the same assignment. Brad Pitt leads the film as he stars opposite Joey King (The Conjuring), Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry (Eternals), Andrew Koji (Warrior), Sandra Bullock, Michael Shannon, Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2), and Hiroyuki Sanada (Army of the Dead).
Bullet Train Reviews emphasize its absurdity, chaos, and fun action
Starting with some of the most positive Bullet Train reviews, Collider’s Maggie Lovitt said that the film will “invigorate, entertain, and astound.” For an action movie, she said that the film is “heart-pounding (and stopping)” that is accompanied by a “kickass soundtrack.” Collider’s Ross Bonaime had to turn off his brain to embrace the Pitt-led film, but once that happened, he liked it. He found it “impossible to not have fun” when in the cast, you get “samurai Michael Shannon” and a large portion of the “cast of Atlanta.”
For many of the Bullet Train reviews, people liked the chaos of its pacing and fights. Critic Laura Sirikul found it to be “chaotic” but that it “makes sense” due to the pacing. For a large cast, she said that “everyone has their moment” among the action. She leaves off by saying that the surprises had her “in stitches.” But Why Though’s Kate Sánchez liked this nature of the film and found it to be “f—ing fun” enough to want to read the novel.
Some Bullet Train reviews emphasized the strong performances from its cast with cameos (that nobody spoiled, thankfully). The AAFCA and Denver Film Critics’ Leo Rydel found the cast to be “super fun.” When it comes to the story, he said that the way it “weaves multiple stories” was well done as they moved ‘closer throughout” the runtime. His criticism, though, was that some “characters feel recycled” and that the leading character played by Pitt felt that he didn’t “belong,” along with some “lulls here and there.”
Criticisms get worse from there. While even the more negative Bullet Train reviews found it fun for its action and cast, some had an issue with its fast pacing and tone. Jeff Zhang of Strange Harbors liked the action and could tell that everyone was “having a blast,” but did not like the humor as he called it “smug, clunky, and way less clever than it thinks it is.” Scott Mantz found everything to be too much and that it was a “mess that goes off the rails fast.” Although it was stylish with big cameos, it lacked everywhere else for him as he was “bored & exhausted.”
Bullet Train releases on August 5.
