“Faster than a bullet”: a new action movie with Brad Pitt quarreled critics and viewers

On August 3, the premiere of the long-awaited film Faster than a Bullet, a new collaboration between Brad Pitt and David Leitch, took place in all cinemas around the world. Why did this film divide ordinary viewers and professional critics? How funny does a movie have to be for Brad Pitt to play in it? When and where can it be seen in Russia? All answers are in our new material.

The plot of the film “Faster than a Bullet”

Faster than a Bullet is an action crime comedy from the master of the genre, director David Leitch.

The plot of the film is based on the novel by Japanese author Kotaro Isaka “Killer Train”. The book became one of Japan’s top bestsellers in the 2010s. Unlike the film, it is quite difficult to call the action of the novel comedic: the pages are imbued with a gloomy atmosphere, a bloody struggle for survival and psychologism. By the way, Isaki’s books were filmed many times in his homeland, but these adaptations never got outside of Japan. The Killer Train has also been translated into Russian, so you can easily read it if you wish.

Initially, Faster than a Bullet was conceived as a rather gloomy movie, a thriller with a sea of ​​blood, which in spirit would be like the first two parts of Die Hard. But the longer the team worked on the script, the more they realized that this approach could work in literature, but hardly in big cinema. The mass audience prefers a light spectacle, so it was decided to change the genre to something more accessible to everyone. So the film turned from a thriller to a comedy, while retaining the plot of the original book.

Faster than a Bullet opens with five of the world’s best hitmen accepting a contract to kill, which is supposed to take place on a bullet train. One of them, the protagonist of the story, codenamed Ladybug, has long wanted to retire, but an all too tempting job offer forces him to take on this one last thing. Once on the flight, the mercenaries realize that someone has specially gathered them in one place. It also turns out that their tasks contradict each other, so for someone to complete their task successfully, everyone else must fail. The train runs from Tokyo to Morioka and will not stop until it reaches its destination. Will anyone get out alive from a train full of killers?

Actors of the movie Faster than a Bullet

The main decoration of the film, of course, is the lead actor Brad Pitt. Speaking about his new work, the most beloved actor of the whole planet highlights what attracted him to this project – humor: “I received the script at the peak of covid. And the first thing that caught my eye – he was damn funny. All the characters had their signature lines, so it was immediately clear that we would put together an all-star cast for the film.”

Speaking about the stellar line-up, Pitt was right as never before. In addition to himself, one of the big stars in the film can be seen Sandra Bullock, who embodied on the screen the Ladybug’s employer, the mysterious girl Maria, and Joey King, whom many may know from Zach Braff’s film “I wish I were here.”

Several Japanese stars also appeared in the film, for example, Hiroyuki Sanada, who became famous thanks to the TV series Westworld, and Masi Oka, who played the role of Hiro Nakamura in the show Heroes.

Director David Leitch himself is something of a star, only not as an actor, but as a director. During his relatively short career, he managed to make several films that have gained cult status among action fans. For example, he had a hand in the first part of “John Wick” and the second part of “Deadpool”, was the author of the idea and the main director on “The Explosive Blonde” and “The Fast and the Furious: Hobbs and Shaw.” Leitch’s talent for the action genre is not at all surprising, having worked as a stuntman and stunt coordinator on dozens of films in the past for many years.

With his new project, David promises viewers an even more unforgettable viewing experience: “The combination of interesting dialogue, dynamic plot, well-written characters and captivating action is something that will amaze you from the first seconds of viewing. I myself was surprised by how bold, original and unlike anything this movie turned out to be. That’s the kind of film I’ve always wanted to make.”

What critics and audiences say about the film

The press from the film was left with very mixed feelings.

On the one hand, almost no one began to argue with the fact that Leitch really did what he promised: the picture turned out to be very funny, the action was quite impressive, and the presence of so many stars on the screen cannot but please the eye. Some critics even wrote that the film declares its uniqueness from the very first frames and keeps its word until the final credits. Also, many noted the ingenuity of the production, characteristic of the director’s entire film since the days of John Wick.

On the other hand, all the same authors wrote that, as a result, the film left behind a feeling of slight disappointment. First of all, the slurred, poorly developed plot is to blame. It was he who caused the elements of the film, which could be good in themselves, simply did not converge into the big picture. British critic Peter Bradshaw wittily wrote, “The script’s train quickly derailed,” and also said that while the film manages to accelerate, it’s only to go nowhere. Perhaps the most negative review came from Alfonso Duralde, who called Leitch’s performance “outright bullshit with an all-star cast.”

The audience for the film were clearly more supportive. They admitted that the picture is not perfect, but still, it left only positive emotions for most of the public. Faster than a Bullet is mostly remembered by reviewers for its unbridled atmosphere of hilarious madness. IMDb rating – 7.5 points.

Where can I watch Faster than a Bullet?

Unfortunately, due to the tense international situation, the film never made it to Russian cinemas. Most likely, in our country it will be possible to watch it only on the Web after the digital release, but its date is still unknown.