Somehow, I think Brad Pitt gets better with age. I’ve enjoyed him more in movies over the last 20 years than I have when he first was an up-and-coming actor in the 90s. He has a plethora of serious roles where he’s been great, but he’s also a bit of a comedic genius and that is very evident in the movie Bullet Train. This is a high-octane action-comedy movie about assassins basically looking for the same thing on a Japanese Bullet Train where they will end up getting in each other’s way. Brad Pitt plays a snatch-and-grab assassin who after finding enlightenment post a bad mission, goes on what it’s supposed to be a simple job, but it doesn’t happen that way. His handler is played by the lovely Sandra Bullock. After watching The Lost City and Bullet Train, I’m convinced they need to do more movies together. Let me first say, that I very much enjoyed Bullet Train, it’s not high art and it certainly isn’t going to win an Oscar, but it’s just pure fun at the movies. A great action-comedy movie can be the perfect escape especially if you have a fantastic cast of executes the story well. Bullet Train does all of that!

What makes this movie good? First of all, it’s a great concept to have an action movie on a bullet train going over 100 mph. Not only are you in condensed spaces, which makes it harder to complete a set plan if you’re an assassin, but there’s a lot that can happen on a train. The movie isn’t all about action, yes it does have great action and fight scenes, and gives you just the right amount of gore to make it entertainment. But the comedic conversations between the characters make you root for them even though they’re bad guys. You know that they’re not as much of a villain as the overall villain in the story which is referred to as the White Wolf and Michael Shannon plays that character perfectly.

But there’s a mystery to the story of Bullet Train, a “who done it” type of aspect to the story that makes it engaging and leaves you wanting more. But honestly, the performances make this movie worth watching. Brad Pitt is great, but I loved Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry more as the assassin’s duo called Lemon and Tangerine. They play the perfect London-type gangsters that you just can’t get enough…something out of a Guy Ritchie film. Joey King is not a kid anymore as she plays a young assassin that has a maturity about her that will make you fear any character she plays. She was great. But I also have to commend the fantastic Asian cast with Andrew Koji and Hiroyuki Sanada. You could say that this is the perfect cast.

I really don’t have many complaints about the movie because it knows what it is. It’s just a very entertaining action-comedy movie where the lives of criminals intertwined with one another as they deal with the ultimate villain on s high-speed moving train. And the Thomas the Train references are great. While the movie does give you just enough of a backstory towards the end of the movie to see how everybody’s lives connect, we could have had more backstory on all the characters. I feel like we should have known a lot more about Brad Pitt’s character, code name Ladybug, and his relationship with his handler, Maria. Also, while it’s an interesting twist to find out the true identity of Joey King’s character, we should have had a little bit more of her backstory as well…maybe some flashbacks on how she grew up.  I won’t spoil who she really is. If I had one more complaint, it’s probably more or less nitpicking, Andrew Koji’s character is not as likable compared to the actor’s skills because he’s a wonderful actor. You should check out his series on HBO max, Warrior, which is based on a story developed by Bruce Lee 50 years ago. It’s just minor nitpicking when it comes to his character because his performance is great!

Overall, this is a fun action-comedy movie that will keep you laughing until the end and won’t make you want to get up and use the restroom if you see it in the theater. Brad Pitt is at his best and as I said before he has great comedic chops, but if you’ve watched any of the Ocean 11 movies, you already know that. The premise is brilliant and the conversations with the characters are not only poignant but hilarious. You get everything you look for in a great action-comedy movie that keeps you entertained right up to the end. It very much has a Kill Bill feel to it and if you didn’t know better, you might suspect that Quentin Tarantino was directing this film. It may not win any awards, but that’s okay because it’s pure fun at the movies with a great cast that will entertain you right to the end. If you’re wondering, it’s worth the price of a movie ticket! And if they develop a sequel where all of these characters intertwine again, I’d be okay with that!