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Bullet Trainis a wild, two-hour ride.
The film is a dark, fast-paced, and bloody thriller packed with action from the first train stop to the last, but it is also filled with pockets of humor that keep the momentum going. The satirical film was directed by David Leitch and is based on the 2010 cult favorite Japanese novel Maria Beetle by Kōtarō Isaka, and stars Brad Pitt, Brian Tyree Henry, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
Pitt plays a former assassin named Ladybug who is sent on a mission to collect a briefcase from a bullet train traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto. Unbeknownst to him, other killers are also onboard and with the same task in mind, including two hitmen brothers Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry). When speaking to the cast during a Zoom interview, it was clear that they understood this movie’s main goal was to serve as a reprieve for audiences and allow them a space to have fun and enjoy the thrills. Pitt also shared that the making of this movie came at a good time for him as an actor and as a person, since they filmed it in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bullet Train does take some time to get to the point, but when it gets to its final destination, you let out a sigh of relief after being on edge the whole way through. The action doesn’t stop, and mostly every moment in the film is filled with intense, explosive fighting sequences, most of which involved Pitt battling every other member of the cast. The film also features performances from Zazie Beetz, Bad Bunny, Joey King, Sandra Bullock, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Michael Shannon.
When the movie was announced, people complained about the Japanese story being “whitewashed,” but the novel’s author has said he doesn’t agree with the criticism. “I don’t have any feeling of wanting people to understand Japanese literature or culture,” Isaka told The New York Times. “It’s not like I understand that much about Japan, either.” That casting decision also allowed for diverse actors like Henry, Bad Bunny, Beetz, and others to be in the film, and without spoiling much, they all brought so much to the table.
Complex caught up with Pitt, Henry, and Taylor-Johnson ahead of the film’s release and they seemed to have built a strong enough connection for them to poke fun at each other throughout the interview, which is exactly the level of playfulness and humor the film brings. Check out our conversation with the actors about the film, and what it was like working together to bring this story to life below.
Can you all talk about what it was like to bring this movie to life?
Brad Pitt: The first thing that was evident about this script and we read it right in the dankest, loneliest part of Covid, was that it was so damn funny and all these characters had their own thing going on so I knew we were going to draw an all-star cast—well, mostly all-star cast. [Laughs.]
Brian Tyree Henry: Oh my God. [Laughs.]
Brian and Aaron, Lemon and Tangerine’s relationship felt like the heart of the movie to me. What was it like for you both to collaborate with each other in creating this relationship for the viewers to see progress throughout the film?
Aaron Taylor-Johnson: Yeah, it was everything. It meant so much to us. They are twins, there’s a brotherhood, they are partners in crime and we wanted that to come across. You read this script and you just laughed out loud and the banter between these two just gave us so much, so much material to play with. So me and Brian, we just ran around with it and just kept on every day, we pushed it and improvised, a lot of ad-libbing. And it was just really joyous to do that. Every day was a blessing really.
BH: We really wanted the audience to feel something for the two of them. We wanted the audience to really feel like there was a brotherhood between the two of them, that there was a true kinship. Because, look, it’s hard to kind of bring levity to people who are in one minute arguing about Thomas the Tank Engine and then the second minute shooting somebody in the face.
We want people to go along on the ride with them. And also being able to work with somebody like Aaron, it was so easy to do, his heart is so massive, and he brings a lot of joy. Unlike some of her co-stars in this chat. [Laughs.] We really wanted to show the authenticity of how Aaron and I care about each other, so I hope the audience can feel that.
Brad, speaking about duality. Ladybug is so chill, so calm, but then he really kicks everybody’s ass in this movie. How was it for you to collaborate with everybody in those fight scenes?
BH: Oh, God! [Laughs.]
BP: Fellas, I’m going sincere on this one. [Laughs.] I mean I have a lot of respect for everyone who signed on for this. Aaron was one of the first. We saw his tape and we said, “Oh, we’re up and running. We got this. This thing is going to work.” I don’t know, there was just so much levity. It was just so nice to be around people. It was that dark point of lockdown and we didn’t see a way out yet. And just to be there with this kind of subject matter, which is funny, the fights which are funny, this cast and as I say, everyone held their own so it was it was pretty evenly matched.
What was the importance behind having such a diverse cast? What does it mean to have people from Puerto Rico, from the UK, from the US in this film?
BP: That was another gift that this script offered. It was an international cast. It was a diverse representation and everyone could bring their unique point of view to the story, so it was a joy.
Bullet Train is now in theaters.