The review embargo for Bullet Train has lifted and, so far, the response has been a little mixed. While the consensus appears to be that Deadpool 2 director David Leitch's latest action movie is a fun ride, it also sounds like it too often gets bogged down in silliness and a failure to make the most of its unique premise.
Now, it's important to point out that the movie is by no means a trainwreck, but you probably shouldn't go in expecting anything deeper than what we saw in the trailers.
For many, that's fine, as a balls-out action flick doesn't exactly need to blow minds. However, it appears Leitch might not be a strong enough director to pull off what he's going for here; on the plus side, it sounds like Pitt and the rest of the cast definitely don't disappoint.
It's unclear whether Sony views Bullet Train as a standalone feature or a potential franchise starter, but those box office numbers should be worth keeping an eye on this weekend. Aside from holdovers like Thor: Love and Thunder and DC League of Super-Pets, the action blockbuster won't face much, if any, competition.
Check out some of the first reviews below and stay tuned for more on Bullet Train!
"'Bullet Train' may be going nowhere fast, but Pitt always seems like he’s already there, safe in the knowledge that we’ll happily watch him smile through all the chaos that crashes around him (including two standout cameos, one which nails an actor’s star power, and another which completely misapprehends it). Pitt’s stardom has never been more obvious, and it shines bright enough here for everything else to get lost in the glare." [C] - Indie Wire
"Bullet Train isn't an unstoppable action-comedy showcase, but it's comfortably entertaining as a gunpowder milkshake of influences from Quentin Tarantino, Guy Ritchie, Jackie Chan, and countless carefree kickass romps." [7/10] - IGN
"The action is first-class, and Brad Pitt and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are having a blast — but with all that hyperactive style and cartoonish violence, you’ll be ready to disembark by its final destination." [3/5] - Empire Online
"Ultimately, Bullet Train aims to be slick when it needs to be smart, and predictable when it should be provocative—effectively making all of the wrong stops at exactly the wrong time. The problem isn’t that Leitch doesn’t have the talent to pull off a film like this, but that he doesn’t have the personality. Rather, he possesses the proficiency to be a contemporary studio journeyman—as long as he chooses the right journey." - AV Club
"Pitt’s character is central to the film’s larger themes – surrounded by bad luck and nutty coincidences, Ladybug feels he and his fellow hired guns are all 'agents of fate' as part of his larger 'What am I even doing here?; mindset – and its interestingly claustrophobic action sequences. That said, he also enjoyably fits into an ensemble of personalities in a summer that at least is never dull, where even a snake on a train gets a chance to overshadow a Hollywood A-lister." [2.5/4] - USA Today
"Bullet Train is a film that knows how preposterous it can get and revels in that silliness. This is a film that has an origin story for a Fiji water bottle, and again, did I mention samurai Michael Shannon? Bullet Train is knowingly absurd and has plenty of fun with the wild lengths it can go, and for the most part, that keeps Bullet Train on the rails." [B] - Collider
"At 126 minutes, Bullet Train is maybe 20 minutes too long; the movie seems to be having too much fun to reach its final station on time, and too many winky drop-ins from A-list action heroes to wedge in. Bullet Train doesn't have a destination, really, or a moral imperative other than mayhem. But it's got a ticket a ride." [B+] - Entertainment Weekly
"The action is impressive, but most of the good bits are in that trailer that’s been so ubiquitous in theaters these past few months. That was, at the very least, accurate advertising, because watching “Bullet Train” is very much like watching its trailer for two-plus hours." [C-] - The Playlist