A Bloated Double Feature: “Bullet Train”/“The Gray Man”
A couple of weeks back - doesn’t really matter which couple of weeks since this is being read long after - I sat and enjoyed, for the most part, “Bullet Train.” Later that same day, I tossed a coin (didn’t) and wound up watching “The Gray Man” which had its moments. Both share the pedigree of recent actioners - quippy dialog, not unconvoluted motivations, plot twists that are difficult to care about, charming actors, and high body counts (at some point, I wanted to say out loud, “Yeah, I get it!” But thought better of that). One is a more self-aware trifle, the other is the first in a series of Jason Bourne wannabes. Both are calculated amusements and one succeeds better as far as tired formulae go. To wit, a fair amount of “Bullet Train” is a genuine gas. Watching Brad Pitt, Bryan Tyree Henry, Aaron-Taylor Johnson, Joey King, and others square off (sometimes repeatedly) is a lotta fun. Zak Olkewicz’s script based off Kotaro Isaka’s novel is m...