Bullet Train Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Bullet Train Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 17, 2022

Bullet Train is a Guy Ritchie film minus Guy Ritchie. Rather, Director David Leitch's (Atomic Blonde) picture merely resembles the tone and flavor of Ritchie's hits like Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, cramming together all of the Ritchie hallmarks in what amounts to a reasonably good facsimile of the familiar fare. The film is based on the Japanese novel Maria Beetle by Kōtarō Isaka. Bullet Train offers an operatically violent mashup of characters within a relatively confined space, with plot tentacles extending from a central premise that leads to a number of rabbit trails that the film explores and doesn't always satisfactorily recover from, but the net effect should please fans looking for the next Ritchie-like cinema experience.

Official synopsis: In Bullet Train, Brad Pitt stars as Ladybug, an unlucky assassin determined to do his job peacefully after one too many gigs gone off the rails. Fate, however, may have other plans, as Ladybug's latest mission puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries from around the globe – all with connected, yet conflicting, objectives – on the world's fastest train...and he's got to figure out how to get off. From the director of Deadpool 2, David Leitch, the end of the line is only the beginning in a wild, non-stop thrill ride through modern-day Japan.

There is no denying that Bullet Train is full of energy. It's bursting at the seams, fighting with every frame to build on the kinetic forward momentum that propels it. However, with all of that intensity comes a feeling that the movie is often flailing about, letting loose because it must and because it can, not because it necessarily should. The boundless excitement and need to empty the tank keep things lively and on-the-go, but sometimes at the expense of clarity or immersion. The film sometimes feels too boundless, too eager to push forward which means that it sometimes pushes through plot points and character moments rather than stop to build for something beyond the moment. That is not to say that the movie never has an eye on the end destination -- it does -- but there's sometimes a serious disconnect between the big picture propellants and the muscle in the moment. The result is a movie that is equal parts rewarding and frustrating. It's a visceral, fast-paced, breathless sort of film, but it is not without its moments of chaotic confusion.

Even if the pace and structure are sometimes too fast and too loose, respectively, for the film to really work for all it's worth, there is no mistaking that Bullet Train has all of its superficialities lined up with an eye to the most robust experience possible. The film is unabashedly concerned with celebrating violence. It's bloody and gleefully so, playing fast and loose with life and death and finding much of its humor in the bloodiest interactions between its characters. The fight scenes are certainly well choreographed with an eye towards making each scene something of a ballet of bloodshed where moves are precise and the blood is copious. The actors seem to have a good bit of fun with the material, too, reveling in the language and the physical dance alike. All of the key performances are defined by enthusiasm more so than character nuance and depth, which works just fine in a movie of this structure.

Bullet Train Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sony brings Bullet Train to Blu-ray with a striking 1080p image. While the companion UHD is certainly the superior image, there is no mistaking that this 1080p presentation is off the rails for overall visual excellence, pushing this format to its absolute limit. Clarity is simply spectacular. The film likes to linger on characters in static close-ups, and viewers will have many opportunities to soak in razor-sharp skin details, wonderful clothing textures, and superb definition on the smooth surfaces within the train. The film often travels around to different places and timeframes where visual diversity allows for more complex textures to be revealed with striking ease and efficiency. The color spectrum is wonderful, too. There's a total sense of vividness and command at work. Brights are radiant, blacks are deep, skin tones are true, and whites are brilliant. The image runs the gamut of color spectrum bliss, offering everything from bold graphics and mood lighting to dusty, earthy tones, all with exceptional lifelikeness. The picture shows no encode or source problems. Blu-ray doesn't get any better.

Bullet Train Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Bullet Train bursts onto Blu-ray with a high energy DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation may lack the channel fullness and total stage engagement that the UHD's Atmos track delivers, but this is no slouch at 5.1. It's immersive and bold, loud and stable, and highly enjoyable. The track presents music with muscular definition. Bass is in heavy support, surround channels are used extensively, and detail is superb along the dominant front end speakers. Action effects offer exceptional depth and detail. Listeners will feel immersed and engaged with every crash, hit, stab, shot, and everything else that makes the movie a kinetically violent off-the-rails experience. Ambient sounds within the train are beautifully rendered with precise detail and exact location specifics. Dialogue is clear, well prioritized, and center positioned for the duration.

Bullet Train Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Bullet Train includes several extras, including featurettes and a commentary track. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase.

• Mission Accomplished: Making of Bullet Train (1080p, 6:11): A look at Leitch's background in stunt work, the film's originality, its fight choreography, Leitch's direction, characters, crew, and more.
• All Aboard the Pain Train: Stunts (1080p, 5:13): As the title suggests, this piece looks at the film's fight and stunt work inside the limited available spacing. It also explores how the fights are tailored to each character.
• Outtakes & Bloopers (1080p, 3:00): Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Audio Commentary: Director David Leitch, Producer Kelly McCormick, and Screenwriter Zak Olkewicz chat up the film in detail.
• Trained Professionals: The Cast (1080p, 6:53): Praising the cast: camaraderie and performances alike.
• Catch What You Missed: Easter Eggs (1080p, 4:14): A fast paced look at some of the little winks and nods in the film, some of which are revealing, others of which are superficial and even veer into "making of" territory.
• Select Scene Stunt Previs (1080p, 3:57): Early conceptual video paired with the final film clips.
• Bullet Train Goes Off the Rails (1080p, 4:36): Lemon and Tangerine pitch the film in conjunction with the NBA.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Bullet Train Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bullet Train is keenly aware of its genre and artfully blends raw and rough violence with operatic choreography. The film celebrates the style to excess, sometimes losing track of whatever story focuses can be found at the center. It's well made and well performed, but it also rings hollow where it counts. Sony's Blu-ray does look and sound amazing, and there are plenty of extras for fans to explore. Highly recommended for fans of this film and its genre.