Bullet Train

In this frantically paced comedy actioner from stuntman-turned-director David Leitch, Brad Pitt plays an affable hitman codenamed Ladybug. Returning to work following a spiritual awakening, Ladybug picks up the titular train in Tokyo. His mission: to secure a briefcase currently in the possession of a pair of British assassins (Brian Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson), who have been tasked with protecting the son of an elusive Russian gangster. The abundance of quirky features is off-putting and keeping up with the chaotic plot can be headache-inducing. The film works better when sticking to the slapstick and it benefits from a charming trio of turns from Pitt, Henry and Taylor-Johnson, with the latter's cockney swagger a thing of absurd beauty. Despite the film's humorous tone, Leitch's handling of the action sequences packs the expected punch, yet Bullet Train is too cartoonish for much to be at stake and piles on the effects-heavy carnage in its final throes. Luckily, Pitt's delivery just about keeps it on track.