High Speed ​​Train ★★½
ACTION (2022)
Producer: David Leitch
Interpretations: Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson

The executioner… “Ladybug” is trying, among other things, to follow the advice of his psychoanalyst in order to correct his broken karma.

One of the most anticipated films of this summer is released this week. Starring Brad Pitt’s name alone is enough to grab attention in a film that takes place almost entirely inside a Japanese supercar. A professional executioner codenamed… “Ladybug” (Pete) boards the train, determined to get rid of his recent misfortune and complete a seemingly simple mission. However, things will get complicated very soon, as this particular route has several highly trained assassins from all over the world on board, each with their own conflicting goals. Carnage will obviously follow.

The director of the ravishing Explosive Blonde as well as Deadpool 2, David Leitch, is taking over the entertainment train here, with, of course, the great legacy of a star of Brad Pitt’s caliber. The American actor maintains the cool image he has given us in other recent films, playing a killer who prefers flares to guns, while also trying to follow his psychoanalyst’s advice to undo his messed up karma.

In general, comedic action has the first word here, with episodes sometimes more and sometimes less successful, which nevertheless form an entertaining set without more depth or other visions. The “key” is definitely the characters (like the inexplicable duo of British hitmen), at least in regards to the plot, which remains generally rudimentary and doesn’t justify the full two hours of running time. On the plus side, however, are the aesthetics, which are clearly influenced by Japanese comics, and the idiosyncratic futurism that contrasts with the rather traditional methods favored by the assassin protagonists.

Whatever the case, the splatter is plentiful, in a purely adult film, which is nevertheless sprinkled with so much gold dust that it cannot be called a thriller. Instead, the wink at the viewer seems to be much more frequent, as are the references to other films in the genre. The same logic includes “star” cameos by actors such as Channing Tatum, Michael Shannon and Sandra Bullock.