Bullet Train (film)

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For an unrelated 1975 Japanese action film with a similar name, see The Bullet Train.

Bullet Train
Bullet Train (poster).jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid Leitch
Screenplay byZak Olkewicz
Based onMaria Beetle
by Kōtarō Isaka
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJonathan Sela
Edited byElisabet Ronaldsdottir
Music byDominic Lewis
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release dates
  • July 18, 2022 (2022-07-18) (Grand Rex)
  • August 5, 2022 (2022-08-05) (United States)
Running time
126 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Japanese
Russian
Budget$85.9–90 million[2][3]
Box office$73.5 million[2][4]

Bullet Train is a 2022 American action comedy film starring Brad Pitt as an assassin who must battle fellow killers while riding a Japanese bullet train. The film is directed by David Leitch based on a screenplay by Zak Olkewicz that adapts the Japanese novel Maria Beetle (published in English as Bullet Train) by Kōtarō Isaka. In addition to Pitt, the film stars Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Benito A. Martínez Ocasio, and Sandra Bullock.

Principal photography began in Los Angeles in November 2020 and wrapped in March 2021. Bullet Train premiered in Paris on July 18, 2022, and was theatrically released in the United States by Sony Pictures on August 5, 2022. The film has grossed over $73 million on a production budget of about $90 million, and received good reviews from critics.

Plot

Former professional assassin codenamed "Ladybug" resumes work with a newly optimistic attitude after attending therapy, haunted by numerous work-related accidental deaths.

His mission is to acquire a briefcase aboard a bullet train traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto in place of the usual contact, Carver, who is ill. Containing a $10 million ransom, the hitman brothers "Tangerine" and "Lemon" have it. They were hired by "The White Death" to recover it and his kidnapped son. The brothers are wary as White Death specifically contracted them for their participation in a job in Bolivia.

Meanwhile, in First Class, assassin Yuichi Kimura confronts "The Prince" over his son's hospitalization. He is coerced onto the train to help Prince kill White Death under threat of death of his son: rigging the briefcase and Kimura’s gun with explosives to kill White Death, notorious for executing people with their own weapons.

Ladybug steals the briefcase but "The Wolf" prevents him from leaving, who's seeking revenge for the poisoning of his wife and his entire cartel at his wedding. The Wolf dies in the fight, stabbed in the heart by his own knife and breaking his neck on the briefcase. At that time, the brothers find the briefcase missing and White Death's son killed with boomslang poison - the same poison used in the massacre at Wolf's wedding.

The Prince convinces Tangerine that Ladybug was responsible. Ladybug has to subdue Lemon after failed negotiations, drugging the water bottle with sleeping powder and accidentally freeing a snake. Ladybug and Tangerine fight to a stalemate, with Ladybug wanting help in convincing White Death’s men that his son and the briefcase are safe. It fails when their cover is blown, so Ladybug knocks Tangerine off the train at the next stop.

Ladybug then encounters the Wolf’s target, "The Hornet" — an assassin who uses boomslang venom, hired to kill White Death's son. Having killed a concession girl to change her disguise, Hornet attempts to kill Ladybug poisoning both in the struggle. Ladybug takes the Hornet's only dose of antivenom, and she dies instead.

At the same time, Lemon becomes suspicious of Kimura and the Prince and shoots the former multiple times before succumbing to the drugged water bottle. Climbing back inside the train, Tangerine finds his brother’s body and confronts the Prince, as Lemon had marked her as suspicious using a Thomas the Tank Engine sticker. The Prince gets Ladybug to fight Tangerine, resulting in a fatal shot in the neck.

Kimura’s father, "The Elder", boards the train, a former Yakuza lieutenant whose wife and clan were killed in White Death's rise to power. Ensuring his grandson’s safety by having the Prince’s associate killed, he and Ladybug find Kimura and Lemon still alive.

As they all prepare for the awaiting ambush, the train arrives in Kyoto, and Ladybug is met by White Death and his men. The Prince, White Death’s disgruntled daughter, tries to goad him into firing Kimura’s booby-trapped gun, but he instead tells her she was never part of his plan. As Ladybug uses the briefcase as a diversion, White Death reveals that he hired all the assassins aboard the train to avenge his wife's death.

When White Death escaped to Bolivia after Tangerine and Lemon massacred his men, his wife got mortally wounded by Carver. She soon died as the Hornet had poisoned the only surgeon who could have saved her. He arranged for all parties involved, including the Wolf, to kill each other.

Before the White Death can kill Ladybug, who took the job in Carver's place, the briefcase bomb is triggered, knocking them both onto the train which Lemon sets back in motion. The train speeds out of control as the Elder duels White Death while Kimura and Ladybug fight off his henchmen. Lemon tackles a thug into the river below, and the train derails. Ladybug is held at gunpoint by White Death, who dies when Kimura’s gun explodes.

Ladybug, Kimura, and his father are confronted by the Prince, who gloats proclaiming to be the new White Death, then is run over by Lemon driving Tangerine's truck. Maria rescues Ladybug, who now fully embraces a positive outlook on life and fate.

Cast

Production

Bullet Train had been initially developed by Antoine Fuqua —who co-produced the film— through his Fuqua Films banner.[5] It was originally intended to be a serious action thriller in the vein of Die Hard (1988), but the project turned into a light-hearted action comedy during the development process.[6][7]

It was announced in June 2020 that Sony Pictures had hired David Leitch to direct the adaptation of the Kōtarō Isaka novel from a screenplay by Zak Olkewicz,[5] with Brad Pitt being cast in the film the following month.[8] Joey King subsequently entered negotiations for a supporting role,[9] while in September, Andrew Koji was added,[10] with Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry joining in October.[11][12] In November 2020, Zazie Beetz,[13] Masi Oka,[14] Michael Shannon,[15] Logan Lerman,[16] and Hiroyuki Sanada joined the cast,[17] with Leitch revealing in December that Karen Fukuhara had also joined, and that Jonathan Sela would serve as cinematographer.[18] That same month, Bad Bunny was also added to the cast,[19] and Sandra Bullock joined the following year in February to replace Lady Gaga, who had dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with House of Gucci (2021).[20]

Production for Bullet Train began in October 2020 in Los Angeles, during the COVID-19 pandemic.[21] Filming started on November 16, 2020,[22] and wrapped in March 2021.[23] The producers constructed 3 full train cars, and LED screens with video footage of the Japanese countryside were hung outside the windows of the train set to help immerse the actors.[24] According to the film's stunt coordinator, Greg Rementer, Pitt performed 95 percent of his stunts in the film.[25] Variety.com reported that Pitt was paid $20 million.[26]

Release

Bullet Train was originally set to be released on April 8, 2022, before being delayed to July 15, 2022,[27] again to July 29,[28] and then to August 5.[29] It had its world premiere at the Grand Rex in Paris, France on July 18, 2022.[30]

Reception

Box office

As of August 11, 2022, Bullet Train has grossed $41.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $32.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $73.5 million.[2][4]

In the United States and Canada, Bullet Train was released alongside Easter Sunday, and was projected to gross $26–30 million from 4,357 theaters in its opening weekend.[3][31] The film made $12.6 million on its first day, including $4.6 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $30 million, topping the box office. Men over 35 made up over a third of the audience (37%), with 46% of the audience being Caucasian.[32]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, 53% of 278 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 5.60/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Bullet Train's colorful cast and high-speed action are almost enough to keep things going after the story runs out of track."[33] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 49 out of 100, based on 59 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[34] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak gave the film an 82% overall positive score, with 63% saying they would definitely recommend it.[32]

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times rated the film 3.5 out of 4, calling it "wildly entertaining" and praised the performances, "the creative and blood-spattered action sequences" and most of all the writing.[35] Peter Debruge of Variety wrote, "Bullet Train feels like it comes from the same brain as Snatch, wearing its pop style on its sleeve — a Kill Bill-like mix of martial arts, manga and gabby hitman movie influences, minus the vision or wit that implies."[36]

Representation of race in casting

The casting of several non-Asian actors, including Brad Pitt and Joey King, prompted accusations of whitewashing as their characters were Japanese in Kōtarō Isaka's novel. David Inoue, Executive Director of the Japanese American Citizens League, criticized the casting, explaining that while American actors would have been appropriate if the setting was changed to the United States, the filmmakers used the novel's Japanese setting while keeping Japanese characters in the film's background, strengthening charges of whitewashing. Inoue also questioned the actors' allyship to the Asian community for knowingly accepting whitewashed roles, and further criticized the film for pushing the "belief that Asian actors in the leading roles cannot carry a blockbuster," despite the recent successes of Asian-led films such as Crazy Rich Asians (2018) and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). Despite being cast in the film, King previously said, "I do not believe a white woman should play a character of color. Not me or any other white woman for that matter."[37] Eric Francisco of Inverse wrote, "Unless you saw the individual character posters, you’d be unlikely to think Bullet Train actually stars any Asian talent. Hollywood supposedly doesn’t cast Asian leads because they aren’t stars, but the truth is, they aren’t stars because Hollywood won’t cast Asian leads. How can audiences get excited about buying tickets to see Asian actors when their existence in a movie is barely acknowledged?"[38]

When asked about the casting, author Isaka defended the film and described his characters as "ethnically malleable," maintaining that his original Japanese setting and context were irrelevant as they were "not real people, maybe they're not even Japanese."[39] Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group president Sanford Panitch highlighted Isaka's views to defend the casting, reassuring that the film would honor the novel's "Japanese soul" while giving the opportunity to cast big name stars and adapt it on a "global scale." Bullet Train screenwriter Zak Olkewicz argued that the decision to cast beyond Japanese or Asian actors proved “the strength of [Isaka]’s work" as it was a story that could "transcend race." Director David Leitch noted that discussions had taken place during pre-production to change the film's setting, but it was ultimately decided to keep Isaka's original location Tokyo due to its international appeal.[40] Jana Monji of AsAm News responded about underrepresentation and misrepresentation of Asians in the film, "That sounds like White privilege providing an excuse for exclusion."[41] Francisco mentioned that the Japanese author and most audiences in Asia "enjoy their own domestic film industry and go to Hollywood for the spectacle of foreigners," noting the differences between Asians in Asia and Asian American issues.[42]

References

  1. ^ "Bullet Train (15)". BBFC. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Bullet Train (2022) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (August 2, 2022). "Box Office: Brad Pitt's 'Bullet Train' Targets $30 Million Opening Weekend". Variety. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Bullet Train (2022)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 24, 2020). "'Hobbs & Shaw' Helmer David Leitch Boards Sony's 'Bullet Train'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  6. ^ ""You can change every bit of you" Aaron Taylor-Johnson is pushing extremes". Hero. March 7, 2022. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  7. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (May 20, 2022). "Sony Chairman Tom Rothman Paddles Upstream To Keep Focus On Traditional Cinema — Deadline Disruptors". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  8. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 6, 2020). "Brad Pitt Commits To Board 'Bullet Train'; David Leitch To Helm Sony Pictures Action Film". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 6, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  9. ^ Kroll, Justin (August 3, 2020). "'The Kissing Booth' Star Joey King Turns Assassin Opposite Brad Pitt in Sony's 'Bullet Train'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  10. ^ Kroll, Justin (September 15, 2020). "Snake Eyes's Andrew Koji Joins Brad Pitt in Sony's 'Bullet Train'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  11. ^ Kroll, Justin (October 22, 2020). "Aaron Taylor-Johnson Joins Brad Pitt In Sony's Action Pic 'Bullet Train'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  12. ^ Kroll, Justin (October 28, 2020). "Brian Tyree Henry Joins Brad Pitt In Sony Action Pic 'Bullet Train'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  13. ^ Kroll, Justin (November 13, 2020). "Zazie Beetz Joins Brad Pitt In Sony's Action Pic 'Bullet Train'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  14. ^ Kroll, Justin (November 16, 2020). "Masi Oka Joins Brad Pitt in Sony's Action Pic 'Bullet Train'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  15. ^ Kroll, Justin (November 18, 2020). "Michael Shannon Joins Brad Pitt in Sony's 'Bullet Train'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  16. ^ Kroll, Justin (November 20, 2020). "Logan Lerman Joins Brad Pitt In Sony's Action Pic 'Bullet Train'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  17. ^ Kroll, Justin (November 30, 2020). "Hiroyuki Sanada Joins Brad Pitt In Sony's 'Bullet Train'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  18. ^ David Leitch on Instagram. December 4, 2020. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2020 – via Instagram.
  19. ^ Kroll, Justin (December 16, 2020). "Bad Bunny Joins Brad Pitt In Sony Action Pic 'Bullet Train'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  20. ^ Kroll, Justin (February 9, 2021). "Sandra Bullock Joins Brad Pitt In Sony's Action Movie 'Bullet Train'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  21. ^ Douglas, Edward (October 30, 2020). "End of Week Production Notes 10/30/20: Marvel's Shang-Chi Wraps, Patrick Wilson Directs and More". Below the Line. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  22. ^ "Bullet Train". Production List | Film & Television Industry Alliance. October 26, 2020. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  23. ^ Couch, Aaron (April 1, 2021). "'Nobody' Producers David Leitch and Kelly McCormick on Bob Odenkirk's Action Chops and Making a Brad Pitt Movie During COVID". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  24. ^ Wallace, Rachel (August 4, 2022). "Bullet Train May Take Place Aboard a Japanese High-Speed Shinkansen, But It Was Filmed in L.A." Architectural Digest. Retrieved August 7, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ^ Lee, Chris (March 25, 2021). "Brad Pitt Went from Playing a Stuntman to Doing His Own Stunts, Man". Vulture. Archived from the original on March 29, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  26. ^ Donnelly, Matt (August 18, 2021). "From Daniel Craig to Dwayne Johnson, Inside the Biggest Movie Stars' Salaries". Variety.
  27. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 14, 2021). "Sony Moves Bullet Train & Where The Crawdads Sing To Summer". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  28. ^ Bonomolo, Cameron (March 18, 2022). "Sony's Bullet Train Pushes Back Release Date". Comicbook. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  29. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 12, 2022). "'Bullet Train' Moves A Week Later This Summer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  30. ^ Mizzy, Sugar (July 19, 2022). "Brad Pitt in Paris for "Bullet Train", world premiere with "the best of the best"". europe-cities.com. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  31. ^ Fuster, Jeremy (August 3, 2022). "'Bullet Train' Expected to Be the Final Movie This Summer to Exceed $15 Million Box Office Opening". TheWrap. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  32. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 7, 2022). "'Bullet Train' Pulls Into Weekend Box Office Station With $30.1M Opening – Sunday Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  33. ^ "Bullet Train (2022)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  34. ^ "Bullet Train Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  35. ^ Richard Roeper (August 2, 2022). "Wildly entertaining 'Bullet Train' handles its plot turns with finesse". Chicago Sun-Times.
  36. ^ Debruge, Peter (August 2, 2022). "'Bullet Train' Review: Brad Pitt Leads This Gleefully Overloaded, High-Speed Battle Royal". Variety.
  37. ^ Tao, Rachel (March 23, 2022). "Controversy builds over possible whitewashing in Brad Pitt's 'Bullet Train'". AsAmNews. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  38. ^ Francisco, Eric. "'Bullet Train' trailers prove Hollywood still hasn't learned one crucial lesson". Inverse. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  39. ^ Rich, Motoko (July 27, 2022). "The Japanese Author Behind 'Bullet Train' Is OK That the Film Isn't So Japanese". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022.
  40. ^ White, Abbey (July 28, 2022). "'Bullet Train Director, Writer and 'Maria Beetle' Author Explain Choice to Cast Non-Japanese Actors: The Characters Are 'Not Real People'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  41. ^ "Brad Pitt's Bullet Train derails diversity". August 5, 2022.
  42. ^ Francisco, Eric. "Review: 'Bullet Train' proves Hollywood can still move backward". Inverse. Retrieved August 8, 2022.

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