If you find your morning commute tense, consider the perilous journey of Brad Pitt’s Ladybug in the 2022 action-comedy Bullet Train. Currently climbing the Hulu charts, the film places assassins aboard a high-speed locomotive, delivering David Leitch’s inventive and hilarious adaptation of Kōtarō Isaka’s 2010 novel. With kinetic set pieces reminiscent of the John Wick franchise and a multi-layered mystery worthy of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, it has emerged as a sleeper hit for action enthusiasts.
A High-Speed Battle Royale
Image via Sony PicturesBrad Pitt stars as Ladybug, an assassin plagued by bad luck, drafted by his handler Sandra Bullock as a last-minute replacement. Boarding a Tokyo bullet train to retrieve a suitcase, he hopes for a quiet ride—only to discover the carriage packed with killers harboring interweaving motives. What begins as a simple assignment spirals into a chain reaction of mistaken identities and fate-driven twists that bind every passenger’s destiny together.
Playing out like a video game come to life, the movie ignites the screen with a knowing wink and self-referential humor. Each carriage and stop offers a new ‘level,’ and the enjoyment lies in the variety of wild encounters and narrative twists. There’s never time to get bored as a new challenger meets Ladybug, who usually greets them with a tired sigh. While he may not welcome them, it showcases one of the most diverse and intriguing casts in modern memory.
An All-Star Cast Drives the Mayhem
Image via Sony PicturesEvery seat on Leitch’s express journey holds a character worthy of their own film, played by actors who maximize every moment. English assassins Tangerine and Lemon (Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Bryan Tyree Henry), the mysterious young hit woman Prince (Joey King), stoic patriarch Elder (Hiroyuki Sanada), and criminal kingpin The White Death (Michael Shannon) each bring distinct energies. Taylor-Johnson and Henry channel a buddy-comedy dynamism, while King adds thriller suspense. Sanada provides gravitas, and Shannon operates as the puppet master pulling strings. The ensemble also features memorable cameos from rapper Bad Bunny and Marvel star Zazie Beetz, whose individual flavors complicate the unfolding web.
Brad Pitt’s Reluctant Hero Anchors the Mayhem
At the center of it all is Pitt, whose charmingly unwilling protagonist treats each life-threatening duel as an inconvenience. His pacifist assassin is a contradiction in terms, and watching Ladybug’s reluctance to dispatch opponents—even when his own survival depends on it—remains a consistent highlight. It also marks a notable chapter in his late-career resurgence, as Pitt approaches his sixties with an Oscar and a hunger for compelling work.
Having spent his early career pigeonholed as a Hollywood heartthrob, age has suited an actor who always chased variety. In his late fifties and early sixties, that pursuit has yielded iconic performances, including his first Academy Award three years prior as Cliff Booth in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. While Ladybug lacks that role’s composure, Bullet Train showcases Pitt’s charisma as he transitions from matinée idol to pulp hero, granting him the opportunity to be funny in ways unavailable to the rising leading man he once was.
Four years after its release, Bullet Train remains a fresh and exciting movie with Hollywood favorites at every turn and a momentum that won’t let up until the story reaches its destination. If you’ve ever wondered why Pitt remains a superstar at an age when most are looking toward retirement, this unique cinematic obstacle course provides the answer.
