Written by Caterina 2022 Cohort
Bullet Train is an action-comedy film directed by David Leitch. It is based on the novel “Maria Beetle” by Kōtarō Isaka. The film follows five assassins, all on a bullet train from Tokyo to Morioka, whom all have separate missions but seem to be connected. Therefore, the topic became who could get off the train alive.
The most prominent feature of this movie is the contrast. Modern Japanese elements run through the whole film, full of cyberpunk style. The brightly coloured frames always remind people of the bustling Tokyo streets. They start by attracting the audience with unique visuals. In this train, before the visitors have time to enjoy the scenery along the way, the killings in the car have already begun; the overwhelming humour and witty dialogue and violent and bloody fight scenes fill the train scene, which also counts as a charming thrilling contrast.
Secondly, there are contrasts in each of the film’s distinctive characters. Veteran killer “Ladybug,” whose name is a symbol of luck in Japanese, is set in the movie as an unlucky man. However, he appears unfortunate, but in fact, he is favoured by God.
The structure of the film is very different from what most people are used to in Hollywood movies, like an action version of Murder on the Orient Express, in which the audience has to piece together various elements in a fast-paced manner to parse out the original picture of the incident. The director describes the backgrounds of the characters simultaneously as they appear, allowing the audience to feel the anguish of Ladybug over his bad luck, the brotherhood of Lemon and Tangerine, and the resignation of Kimura at being used etc.
Small details successfully help the audience to organize the plot so that the film is not only full of fun but also lets people more and more immersed in the plot, making the whole film story more relatable; this narrative becomes the biggest feature of “Bullet Train.” In conclusion, the visual effect and the way of portraying the character of this film are points that appeal to me, and I can apply them to future projects. Characterization is a part I often overlook because I usually think that if the characters are distinctive enough, then the audience will love them, but the story structure is very well streamlined and more important. I recommend Bullet Train, a movie that taught me a lot about storytelling.