{"id":19678,"date":"2022-08-03T13:24:56","date_gmt":"2022-08-03T11:24:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1689994"},"modified":"2022-08-03T13:42:02","modified_gmt":"2022-08-03T11:42:02","slug":"bullet-train-review-frantically-paced-actioner-is-a-mixed-bag","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/bullet-train-review-frantically-paced-actioner-is-a-mixed-bag\/","title":{"rendered":"Bullet Train review: Frantically-paced actioner is a mixed bag"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Emma Simmonds\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 03 August 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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<\/div> 3.0 out of 5 star rating<\/span> <\/span> <\/div> <\/div>

Screeching into cinemas, sparks flying, this eagerly-anticipated, sometimes frantically-paced actioner comes courtesy of stuntman-turned-director David Leitch. Leitch began his directorial career as the uncredited co-helmer of game changer John Wick<\/a>, following it up in intermittently impressive style with Atomic Blonde<\/a>, Deadpool 2<\/a> and Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Earlier in his career, Leitch was a frequent stunt double for this film\u2019s star, Brad Pitt, and he directs him superbly here, providing a platform for one of the actor\u2019s funniest performances. Pitt plays a misfortune-magnet hitman, codenamed Ladybug by his silky-voiced handler Maria (Sandra Bullock, mostly unseen). Currently residing in Japan, he\u2019s been taking some time off and has undergone a spiritual awakening of sorts, with his attempts at relaying Eastern wisdom generating plenty of laughs.<\/p>\n

Now ready to return to work, Ladybug picks up the titular train in Tokyo. His mission: securing a briefcase which is currently in the possession of a pair of British assassins, Lemon and Tangerine, played in the Bullet Train cast<\/a> by Brian Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who have been tasked with protecting the son of ruthless Russian gangster the White Death (the son is played by Logan Lerman, as for the White Death himself, well, you\u2019ll see<\/a>). Despite the pair\u2019s best efforts, which include killing 17 people to free the young man from his kidnappers, they quickly fall foul of their employer.<\/p>\n

Also onboard is an English-accented assassin, Prince (Joey King). In a bid to take down the White Death, Prince is posing as a schoolgirl and blackmailing Yuichi (Andrew Koji), who works for the elusive crime lord and whose young son she pushed off a rooftop. Hiroyuki Sanada plays Yuichi\u2019s formidable father, known only as \u2018The Elder\u2019, who we meet at his grandson\u2019s hospital bedside at the outset, and who will prove very useful.<\/p>\n