PHOTO BY , COURTESY OF 87NORTH, CTB INC., AND HILL DISTRICT MEDIA

NEW FLICKS: BULLET TRAIN

Where is it playing?: Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria, Movies Lompoc, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande

What's it rated?: R

David Leitch (Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw) directs Zak Olkewicz’s script based on Kôtarô Isaka’s book about a group of assassins aboard a speeding train whose various missions are interconnected. The central character is codename Ladybug (Brad Pitt), a “snatch and grab” operative hired to steal a briefcase, complicated by all the killers in his midst.

The ensemble comedy action flick is a kinetic free-for-all, and it’s easy at first to dismiss it as mindless violence, but at its heart is Ladybug trying to be a better person. He thinks he’s plagued by bad luck, but as the story progresses, he begins to contemplate whether his misfortunes are fate at work with a grand design awaiting him. You kind of want to take him aside and tell him, “Dude, ‘shit happens’ is the only philosophy that makes sense in your world.”

There are twists and turns, lots of violence, a claustrophobic setting, and some slick direction from Leitch, who’s well acquainted with cheeky action. The acting is superb, and with a cast that includes Joey King, Brian Tyree Henry, Hiroyuki Sanada, Logan Lerman, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Andrew Koji, and Michael Shannon, you’re in for a kickass time. (126 min.)

—Glen Starkey