‘Bullet Train’ is high-speed action’Bullet Train’ is high-speed action

AN assassin gets the wellness treatment in the Brad Pitt powered 'Bullet Train' (2022). Based on Kotaro Isaka's book 'Maria Beetle', the film assembles a murder of assassins with conflicting missions aboard a high speed train from Tokyo to Kyoto.

In three words, 'Bullet Train's' main tenets are banter, blood and the briefcase.

The latter is what Ladybug (Pitt), an assassin returning to the job after the thrill of therapy, is tasked with retrieving. A seemingly simple job for a newly mindful man.

Directed in the vein of Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino, David Leitch's 'Bullet Train' crams its often wise-cracking and homicidal ensemble into the confines of the Japanese Shinkansen where bars, quiet cars, restrooms and refreshment areas become scenes for a scuffle.

Starring Brian Tyree Henry, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Joey King, Hiroyuki Sanada, Andrew Koji, Michael Shannon, Logan Lerman, Bad Bunny (Benito A. Martínez Ocasio), an underused Zazie Beetz and Sandra Bullock, 'Bullet Train' boasts an awesome ensemble navigating a complex and, at times, ridiculous plot that includes the fall of a Yakuza boss, a Japanese family's revenge, a water bottle and a boomslang.

If you like your stories convoluted, over the top, action-packed, featuring a flashback or two, as well as quirky characters with names like The White Death, The Elder, The Hornet, The Wolf, Tangerine, Lemon and The Prince, this one is for you.

However, if you're expecting a deeper dive into the film's Japanese setting, you'll be left wanting. Diverse in its main casting but largely using urban Japan as a cliché backdrop with a checklist of neon, sexy refreshment ladies, strange life-sized plushies and courteous people, 'Bullet Train' offers a superficial and predictable treatment of its setting and mostly ignores the local people.

Catch this one for a little fun. It's action-packed, wildly unreasonable, the chemistry between Henry and Aaron-Johnson deserves some kind of spin-off and you'll see 'Thomas and Friends' (Yes, of tank engine fame) in a whole new light.

Want to win a movie ticket to see 'Bullet Train' (2022) or a movie of your choice at Ster-Kinekor? Simply answer the following question: Where is the high speed train going? Send your full name, cellphone number and your answer to weekender@namibian.com.na

The winner of the previous competition is Juda Kotungondo.

– martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com

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