“Bullet Train”It’s quite an exciting ride.
The film is about Lady Bug, a criminal codenamed Brad Pitt, who boarded a super-fast train to Japan. Soon, she was confronted by a bunch of trained killers including Aaron Taylor Johnson, Bad Bunny Zazie Beetz and Brian Tyree Henry. Why is everyone after the mysterious silver briefcase and what awaits them all when the train reaches its final destination are among the mysteries that unravel along the train’s high-speed track.
It is easier to answer the question about who orchestrates this bloody chaos. That would be director David Leitch, a former stunt performer and choreographer who has become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after filmmakers, thanks to hits like “Deadpool 2,” “Hobbs & Shaw,” “Atomic Blonde”Get it now “Bullet Train.”(He also co-directed and directed the first “John Wick”He oversees the franchise along with Chad Stahelski, his creative partner.
Leitch spoke to us about how he became involved in the project. We talked about the comedy tone, the editing process and the surprising train movie that inspired us. We also inquired about his future project. “The Fall Guy”Ryan Gosling (which will start filming in Australia any minute now). Don’t be afraid.
How did it come about that you became involved in the organization? “Bullet Train?”It all seemed to come together quite quickly.
Sony gave the script to Kelly McCormick, my partner, and creative producer. After reading the script, she was astonished at the creativity and bold characters. She also loved the unapologetic tone and the limited space. This was going to be done during COVID. We were just looking for something to help our film crew get back on its feet. I got excited about it, but I also was a little nervous because it’s like, how do you create all this interesting action on a train and keep people interested for an hour-and-a-half and compete with these big summer tentpoles? It turned out that this challenge was exactly what I needed.
We saw the fight team, the art department and all departments firing on all cylinders. They were creative and thought outside of the box. We created the Momonga car and the quiet car. The kids came up with some really funny props that they could use to fight and it really brought the movie to life. And I think that ultimately sometimes you look at things that might be constraining, they’re actually avenues to make you as creative as possible.
I’d read somewhere that the tone of the movie had shifted at some point from a more “Die Hard”-like straightforward action movie to to the more irreverent tone that you’re speaking about. Is that before or after you joined the project?
There are many ways to approach a script when you read it. It is possible that the movie may have had a more sombre tone. This was not my intention. It was not my intention. I began to think about it more after I had read it. And after my initial conversations with Brad, you know, we’re at the height of the pandemic, he was like, “We should be leaning into laughs. We should be looking for laughs and broader is better. Let’s swing for the fences.”We held hands and continued on our way.
As he’s coming on as a creative partner is one of the biggest roles in the movie. I’ve always wanted that tone. And then I think even on set, you saw just people come to life like Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry’s characters, Lemon and Tangerine. They were so full of energy and chemistry, we could not help but to lean into them. It took several days for everyone to feel the same. “Okay, we’re going this way, we can lean into some of these bigger, broader moments.” And that’s what leads brought.
I’m assuming there was some refinement, in editorial, of the tone you established on set. Elisabet Ronaldsdottir, editor, is one of your key collaborators.
The old analogy, and I think I said this last time we talked, is that you make the movie three times – you have a great script. Then we have great production crew with these creative people I work with all the time, we’re just like generating ideas, and then a great cast. You get into editorial. The way it was shot was in chapters. You’re introduced to all these characters. Then you go back and introduce another character.
As beautiful as the movie’s original version was, it felt like we were moving from one scene to another. Elisabeth had a wonderful intercut version of finding all the characters. They are so intertwined. It made perfect sense. This was something she probably had in her pockets even though she was filming. She comes on quite early in our films. As she brought in the material, I suspect she was aware that it could be cut. As we worked our way through the movie, that intercutting made it more fun. You set the tone for a movie’s beginning. You want to make sure you’re, you’re true to that.
David Fincher talked about the first twenty minutes of the movie. It teaches you how the rest of the movie is viewed.
100%. We all had flashbacks, and they came in different sizes and shapes. Some are comical, others dramatic, while some tell backstories. But to lean into those in the beginning and see that we’re introducing all these characters in rapid succession… Even Brad’s character has flashbacks of bad luck and Lemon and Tangerine have a flashback to how they got the son there. You’re right, the first 20 minutes, it’s really astute. You will learn how to view the remainder of the film in the first 20 minutes. And there’s all this information that’s in those flashbacks, they’re never wasted. They’re really important to the whole narrative. And you’re just guiding the audience in that.
Did you intend for the film to show details after repeated viewings?
It is my hope. I want it to be that second, third viewing sort of experience, because again, there are so many plants, payoffs, and so many little details that were really in Zac’s script, and then also discoveries of this twisted plot along the way that we just dived in.
You have the ability to put these movie stars through their paces. You’ve worked with Ryan Reynolds and Charlize Theron and now Brad Pitt with “Bullet Train.”
We love it,. I love the opportunity to work with amazing actors and watch their creativity and talent come alive in their roles. As a stunt performer for so many years, you’re helping them build a character through physicality. And that’s really, really important.
Have you been inspired by any other train movie?
Everyone’s like, “Did you watch ‘Train to Busan?’”I love you! ‘Train to Busan.’It was a funny, funny, and well-executed approach to genre cinema that I loved. What I loved the most was “Silver Streak”Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor. It was inspiring to see the movie’s high jinks, and how it was a madcap train rider caper, as well.
You’ve got “The Fall Guy”Ryan Gosling is my inspiration. It is difficult to balance the authenticity of being a stuntman with the larger needs of a big action movie.
This movie will be big, fun, and full of amazing organic stunts. And that’s part of the goal. I think it’s sort of a love letter to the stunt performers in film and actually to the blue collar crews that make movies. And so that’s what I’m really excited about in the story of “Fall Guy.”
“Bullet Train”It is currently only playing in theaters.
