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    Movie Review

    Goofy Brad Pitt and intense action keep Bullet Train on track

    Alex Bentley
    Aug 5, 2022 | 4:42 pm
    Joey King in Bullet Trainplay icon
    Joey King in Bullet Train.
    Photo by Scott Garfield

    Not many A-list actors can claim to have had the kind of career that Brad Pitt has had. Initially prized for his looks thanks to his breakout role in Thelma and Louise, Pitt has wound his way through a variety of genres, eventually earning four Oscar nominations for his acting, including a win for his part in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. He’s also become one of the more powerful producers in the film industry, earning three nominations and one win for Best Picture.

    But for all his Oscar bona fides, Pitt is at his most enjoyable when he goes into goofy mode, as he does again in the action/comedy Bullet Train. Pitt, a reluctant hit man dubbed Ladybug by his handler (Sandra Bullock), is tasked with what is supposed to be a simple task: Steal a case full of money off a bullet train going from Tokyo to Kyoto without being noticed by anybody.

    Naturally, things go awry quickly thanks to the presence of a bevy of other contract killers, including Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry), Prince (Joey King), Wolf (Bad Bunny), and more. Every time Ladybug thinks he’s about to successfully depart the train, he’s waylaid by another person or obstacle, forcing him to improvise, often violently.

    Directed by stunt coordinator-turned-director David Leitch and written by Zak Olkewicz, the film is equally as funny as it is brutal. As played by Pitt, Ladybug is extremely skilled at combat, but also someone who’s in therapy to deal with his anger. The push-and-pull of the two sides of him intersect hilariously throughout the film as he dispatches person after person on instinct rather than desire.

    As one has come to expect from Leitch (who’s also directed Atomic Blonde and Deadpool 2, among others), the film’s action scenes are intense yet elegant. Utilizing what seems like every inch of the relatively small space inside the train, the fights are also notable for how the combatants take advantage of everything around them. There are guns and knives, of course, but suitcases, seatbelts, tables, headrests, water bottles, and more also make for great weapons in a pinch.

    If there’s a minor quibble to be had with the film, it’s that it’s a little too long and convoluted. Every character introduced comes with some kind of backstory, necessitating flashbacks to earlier jobs and interactions. While the various sideplots are kept coherent, having to keep up with all of them sucks a bit of fun out of the film as a whole.

    Pitt is darn near perfect in the role, nailing every line as his baffled character suffers through unwanted altercations. Johnson and Henry make for a very fun duo, utilizing Cockney accents to play up the absurdity of their characters. The film also has a bunch of fun cameos, including one by Channing Tatum, making the film a kind of mini-reunion for the cast of The Lost City.

    The setting, the humor, and the action in Bullet Train combine to make the film a blast nearly from beginning to end. Pitt is right at home in both of the film’s genres, and everyone involved takes audiences for a hell of a ride.

    ---

    Bullet Train opens in theaters on August 5.

    Brad Pitt in Bullet Train.

    Brad Pitt in Bullet Train
      
    Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures
    Brad Pitt in Bullet Train.
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    Movie Review

    28 Years Later revives zombie franchise for new generation

    Alex Bentley
    Jun 20, 2025 | 5:00 pm
    Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later
    Photo by Miya Mizuno
    Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later.

    The 2000s brought two of the best zombie movies ever made in 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later. Both films, despite being made by different filmmakers, featured intense action with fast-moving zombies, harrowing sequences, and real emotional connections with their main characters. Now the original director and writer — Danny Boyle and Alex Garland — have returned with the first of a possible three sequels, 28 Years Later.

    The rage virus from the first two films that turns humans into insatiable monsters has successfully been contained to the United Kingdom, and one group of survivors has managed to band together on a small island off the coast of England. We’re introduced to the group through Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), his wife, Isla (Jodie Comer), and his son, Spike (Alfie Williams).

    Isla is sick with an unknown illness, while Jamie is set to take the 12-year-old Spike on his first trip to the mainland to hunt zombies. That trip not only gives Spike an education as to the different types of feral zombies that now populate England, but also a clue that other people have survived there. When he discovers that one of them may be a doctor, he makes plans to take his mother there in hopes of finding a cure for whatever ails her.

    While the first two films were notable for their brisk pace that kept the potency of the stories high, Boyle and Garland almost go in the opposite direction for much of this film. The first 90 minutes are relatively slow, with only a couple of sequences that raise the blood pressure. The final half hour or so go a long way toward filling that void, so it’s clear that the filmmakers were biding their time for the story to come in the sequel. A bit more balance in this film would have served them well, though.

    What they do show involves some weird, wild stuff that is objectively upsetting, even for fans of the genre. The zombies have evolved in strange ways, giving them a variety of body shapes and abilities to suit the environment in which they live. These storytelling choices may thrill some and have others scratching their heads. Another human character living on his own (played by Ralph Fiennes), appears to have gone the way of Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, with a revelation that is bone-chilling.

    Boyle, who’s directed everything from Trainspotting to Slumdog Millionaire, doesn’t have a signature style, and he makes some choices in this film that test your patience. He occasionally employs an odd technique in which the film stutters, for a lack of better term. It’s a bit jarring, especially since it doesn’t seem to improve the storytelling. He also inserts scenes from older films involving medieval warfare that emulate the bow-and-arrow weaponry used by characters in this film, but the exact connection he’s trying to make is unclear.

    The young Williams has a lot put on his shoulders in the film, and he proves to be up to the task of carrying the story. He isn’t precocious or annoying, instead reacting almost exactly like you’d expect a boy of his age to do when faced with extreme situations. Taylor-Johnson and Comer are good complements for him, drawing him out with their polar opposite characters. Fiennes makes a huge impression in the final act of the film, while Jack O’Connell makes a very brief appearance, teasing a bigger role to come.

    It’s difficult to fully judge 28 Years Later because it’s designed to only give you part of the story; part 2, The Bone Temple, is due in 2026, while a third film will follow if the first two do well. This film has its moments and winds up on the positive side of the ledger, but it’s also a frustrating experience that could have used a more stand-alone story.

    ---

    28 Years Later is now playing in theaters.

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