Bullet Train (5 Stars)

The Japanese Shinkansen, called the Bullet Train in English, is one of the fastest trains in the world. It travels commercially at a speed of 200 miles per hours, and it's reached 275 miles per hour in test runs. It's also one of the safest trains in the world. According to Wikipedia, "Over the Shinkansen's 50-plus-year history, carrying over 10 billion passengers, there has not been a single passenger fatality or injury on board due to derailments or collisions". It's good that the film "Bullet Train" is fictional, because it would have spoilt this spotless record. The train is derailed in Kyoto, not to mention various people being shot, poisoned or stabbed to death by various assassins on the train.

If I were to give a plot summary I'd have to write a review that runs for several pages. So much happens in the two hour run time. The main character is a man codenamed Ladybug. Some reviews incorrectly call him an assassin. If they'd paid attention to the film they would have noticed that he refused to take a gun with him on his mission. He's a professional thief, a snatch and grab guy. He's been hired to steal a briefcase containing the ransom money for the kidnapped son of a Yakuza boss. Two British assassins have freed the son and are bringing him back home, together with the no longer needed ransom money.

Many of the interlocking plots are the result of coincidences. The train from Tokyo to Kyoto is full of assassins intending to carry out different missions. Ladybug, whose real name we're never told, is caught in the middle.

For reasons unknown to me, critics don't like the film. Okay, I say "unknown to me", but I've read their reviews. What I mean is that I don't understand why they haven't been won over by the positive features of the film. The film is chaos, but it's never difficult to understand. The characters are well developed, even the ones who meet an early death. The story is well written, and the action scenes are intense. Seriously, I don't see any reason not to like it. I'm not alone in my opinion, proved by the fact that it was a box office success.

Success Rate:  + 0.8

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