The Bullet Train promised to be the best action film of 2022. However, the critics are divided: a failed Tarantino pastiche or a competitor to DC and Marvel? See the first reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Bullet Train is an action film starring Brad Pitt as a professional assassin. The spectacle is directed by David Leitch, known for productions such as Deadpool 2, John Wick and Atomic Blonde.
The name of the well-known filmmaker and exciting previews have set audiences up for potentially the best action film of 2022. However, early reviews from critics on Rotten Tomatoes promise a mediocre one.
Bullet Train – the first reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
As of August 3, 2022, Rotten Tomatoes has 69 critic reviews, 40 of which rated the film positively and 29 negatively. That gives Bullet Train an average score of 5.80 out of 10.
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Quentin Tarantino’s name was mentioned several times in the reviews, though in a bad light. For this, the production’s humor was received in a very mixed way. See for yourself.
Bullet Train – a tiresome pastiche of Tarantino?
From negative reviews, it can be concluded that the film’s plot goes nowhere. Its formula quickly becomes cumbersome, which makes the film’s duration seem too long. The South China Morning Post’s James Mottram called the production a “misfire.”
The critic Jeffrey Zhang of Strange Harbors summed up the film this way on Rotten Tomatoes:
From a Tarantino pastiche that’s far less intelligent than it thinks it is – and much more convoluted than it should be – to an endless attempt at comedy, Bullet Train is starting to look more and more like homework with each stop.
Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle, who rated the film an 1, instead summarized Bullet Train’s plot this way:
So the heroes are all on the train. They want to kill each other. Half the time we don’t know why. And actually we don’t want to know.
The Bullet Train would want to feverishly get away with being quirky and cool, while its desperation is apparent to viewers with the naked eye.
The reviewers criticized the humor – in their view funny only to the creators – and the brutality, which, in this instance, becomes tiresome instead of serving entertainment.
Bullet Train: is it a worthy opponent of DC and Marvel?
What do the positive reviews say about Bullet Train? The critics reviewing the production positively also mention brutality, actions and ironic humor, however, but this time as the film’s strengths.
Nevertheless, most of the reviews agree that it is nothing original or memorable, and, most importantly, the spectacle should be shorter.
The reviewers promise a fast pace, a playful and energetic atmosphere with a hint of mystery, as well as an impressive amount of bloody gore.
Wes Greene of Slant Magazine summed up Bullet Train this way:
David Leitch performs the notable feat of making cartoonishly violent psychopaths out of characters who are human.
Jorge Loser of Espinof said:
An obligatory gore-filled actioner you didn’t know you needed, a counterattack to the waterfall of monolithic Marvel and DC productions, a show that confirms that it’s best to have fun at the movies without having to pay for superpowers.
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