BULLET TRAIN

Back on assignment after a break, Brad Pitt stars as Ladybug, a snatch-and-grab guy who has the worst luck, which at times costs others their lives. His job is simple: board a Japanese bullet train, grab a briefcase containing $10 million dollars, and get off at the first stop. Sounds easy enough, except for the fact 4 assassins are also onboard and looking for the same briefcase, each with their own agenda (Joey King plays Prince, Aaron Taylor-Johnson is Tangerine, Brian Tyree Henry is his non-biological brother Lemon, and Andrew Koji as Kimura). The cast is outstanding, each holding their own and never backing down in order to sell their characters strengths. King continues to impress me with her work and this further advances her cause as she plays the damsel in distress beautifully when needing to get out of a predicament, yet is just a ruthless as the others. Tangerine and Lemon have great banter between them as English mates who grew up together, with Lemon also having an unhealthy obsession with Thomas the Tank for a man his age. A few nice cameos are peppered throughout as well that audiences are sure to enjoy. The film is action packed with some but not an abundance of humor. Having Japan on my bucket list, this film just made the itch that much worse as some of the film is shot in Tokyo in addition to California. The runtime was a little issue for me at 126 minutes as it tended to drag slightly in the second and third acts. A little disappointed I didn't enjoy it more as it's quick to capture your attention, again the cast it outstanding, but the finale was a bit bloated. It's still a fun ride though and a solid B action film. 6/10