Movie Conventions Research: Bullet Train

 Hey guys, welcome to my blog! Today I will be talking about the conventions I discovered in the movie "Bullet Train".

 What elements of the genre that you chose to base your final task on does this movie have?

Some elements of the Thriller genre that are shown in the movie Bullet Train include the parts of Mis-en-scene such as costumes. In Bullet Train, almost all of the men are wearing suits and many have hats on too, which is a common convention seen in other thrillers. The actors are also wearing mainly blue and white colors, which is seen in many thrillers as well. For acting, the antagonist is mysterious and has a lot of power, which we see when he shields his face with a mask and defeats everyone who comes in his way. For makeup, special effects makeup is used in fight scenes when the actors get stabbed by a knife or shot by a gun to create the illusion of blood. Many props such as handguns, knives, a briefcase, computers, and poison are also used which is very common in thrillers. Bullet Train also uses many flashbacks. This is seen when the Elder looks back on the White Death taking everything away from him including his wife. Brad Pitt also goes through many flashbacks when he starts to remember everyone on the train and how he has encountered them before. For sound, fast-paced, non-diegetic music is used in the mass killing scenes and fighting scenes as well. The typical sound a sword makes when it pierces someone's skin is also included in Bullet Train, and other thrillers as well.

What elements of the genre did the movie have that you liked?

Some elements of the Thriller genre that I liked in the movie Bullet Train include keeping a fast pace throughout the whole movie. Especially during the fight scenes on the train and on land, the movie Bullet train consists of one action after the another. I liked this pace because it kept me on my toes, kept me from getting bored, and made me want to watch more. Another element of the Thriller genre that I liked in this movie was the time limits Brad Pitt had every time the train stopped at a new station. A common convention in thrillers is some kind of time restriction, and this is effectively used in Bullet Train as his time runs out and the audience's anticipation increases. I also enjoyed the special effects makeup used to show blood spilling from their eyes after the victims were poisoned. Many other thrillers use fake blood to make wounds appear painful and dramatize them. Bullet Train takes it to another level by having it come out of their eyes, a distinction the protagonist uses to know exactly what kind of poison was used. Bullet train also includes many flashbacks, which is a common convention used in thrillers. I enjoyed the flashbacks in Bullet Train because they acted as a source of background knowledge as the movie starts with a big move instead of establishing who the characters are. This is seen when the protagonist's son is pushed off of a building, and we don't learn until later on who the kid is and how he relates to the other characters.

What elements of the genre did the movie have that did not appeal to you? 

Some elements of the Thriller genre that did not appeal to me in the movie Bullet Train include the set. The movie Bullet Train takes place on the train for almost all of the movie. Having all of the action on the train is a common convention seen in other Thrillers because this location is isolated and leaves the actors no place to run or go. This did not appeal to me because the background became boring and predictable. Including a variety of settings would have created more suspense and kept the audience intrigued throughout the whole movie. Another element that did not appeal to me in the movie was the Jump Cuts from the train to the Bolivia Job where Tangerine and Lemon killed the White Deaths crew. The Jump Cuts do not appeal to me because they repeat way too many times within the film. First when Tangerine and Lemon are introduced, then when Brad Pitt recognizes them, and finally when the White Death reveals their reason for being invited on the Bullet Train. The repetition makes these scenes boring and uninteresting, overall taking away from the effect it was supposed to have on the audience. The last element of the Thriller genre that did not appeal to me in Bullet Train was the extreme close-ups of the snake throughout random times in the movie. These did not appeal to me because although the snake is related to poison, the movie failed to mention what happens to it and where it originated from. This made the continuous close-ups of the snake pointless and it felt like they were included just to pass by time.