Summary

A snake expert criticizes
Bullet Train
‘s inaccuracies, noting the boomslang snake in the movie doesn’t look or behave anything like a boomslang.
The boomslang inaccuracies combined with mistakes regarding antivenom result in the movie getting a one out of 10 accuracy grade.

Bullet Train
was a success at the box office but earned mixed reviews from critics.

Brad Pitt’s snake scenes in Bullet Train get put under the microscope by a snake expert, and they fail on multiple levels. Released in 2022, Bullet Train hails from director David Leitch, who is best known for Atomic Blonde and for co-directing the first John Wick. The film stars Pitt as Ladybug, an assassin whose mission aboard a train is complicated by the arrival of multiple other assassins with conflicting jobs. In addition to the many human characters in the Bullet Train cast, the movie also features Pitt facing off against a boomslang snake.

In a recent video for Insider, snake expert Sara Ruane breaks down the boomslang scenes in Bullet Train, revealing that they contain a number of inaccuracies.

One of the glaring issues is that the boomslang in the movie isn’t a boomslang at all, and that it looks nothing like its real-world counterpart, but that’s just the beginning of the film’s issues. Check out selections of Ruane’s commentary below as well as her score for Bullet Train out of 10:

“That’s not a boomslang whatsoever, this is a rat snake. This is not anything like what a boomslang even looks like. It’s probably the most inaccurate portrayal I’ve ever seen given how many close-ups there are of a snake that’s quite distinctive looking.
“They do not have a sophisticated venom delivery system like a syringe like the way a rattlesnake does. Boomslangs were not know to necessarily be dangerous because they don’t have these front fangs.
“Typically, when you see antivenom administered in a movie like Bullet Train, it’s really not how it would go down in real life. Antivenom isn’t just an ‘Oh, one dose and you’re good.’ Typically, you are given a certain number of doses based on the severity of the bite and the symptoms you’re having, specifically for the species or a group of species that that antivenom was made to work for. And you’re monitored, and if you keep getting worse they’ll give you a little bit more. It’s also ridiculously expensive. It’s not something you’re just carrying around.
“A boomslang is not a constrictor and it’s not necessarily going to wrap around something and really hold on tight. A rat snake, the snake that this looks like, can do something like that, but the snake’s not going to hang on for dear life given the opportunity to get away.
“I’m going to give this a one [out of 10]. I think this is one of the most unrealistic scenes I’ve ever seen.”

How Was Bullet Train Received?
Why The Brad Pitt Action Movie Earned Mixed Reviews

Based on Maria Beetle by Kōtarō Isaka, Bullet Train had an intriguing premise and a capable director at the helm. It also had a star-studded cast. In addition to Pitt, the movie stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Joey King, Brian Tyree Henry, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Zazie Beetz, and Bad Bunny. These ingredients were evidently enough to draw audiences to theaters, with Bullet Train earning $239.3 million at the box office.

Bullet Train
is estimated to have a budget of between $85 million to $90 million.

While the film was a financial success, it was more of a mixed bag critically. The Bullet Train reviews were lukewarm at best, with critics praising the cast and some of the action, but taking issue with a narrative that runs out of steam long before the end credits roll. The movie currently holds a 54% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, earning it a “rotten” designation.

Bullet Train was much more popular with audiences, however, and the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is a much more respectable 76%. It also has a similar user score on IMDb at 7.3 out of 10. Despite the movie’s popularity with audiences, no Bullet Train sequel is confirmed to be in the works.

Bullet Train

is currently available to stream on Netflix

Source: Insider

Bullet Train Packing a stellar cast with the likes of Brad Pitt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, and Zazie Beetz, David Leitch’s Bullet Train tells the story of an assassin for hire who bumps into multiple dangerous criminals aboard a high-speed Shinkansen trip from Tokyo to Kyoto. The 2022 action comedy is an adaptation of Kōtarō Isaka’s novel “Maria Beetle”.Release Date July 29, 2022 Director David Leitch Cast logan lerman , Karen Fukuhara , Hiroyuki Sanada , Joey King , Brian Tyree Henry , Andrew Koji , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Masi Oka , Brad Pitt , Zazie Beetz , Michael Shannon , Sandra Bullock Runtime 126 minutes Writers Zak Olkewicz Budget 87 million Studio(s) Sony Distributor(s) Sony