Here are Cinephile Corner’s 10 recommendations for movies like Bullet Train:
Ambulance
I have a confession to make. I did not see Ambulance on the big screen and it is easily my biggest regret of 2022 so far in terms of film watching. Every moment of Michael Bay’s newest heist, getaway, cocaine-driven anxiety trip is worth the price of admission, VOD rental, and 4k blu-ray bundle all sandwiched together into one.
The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy is a mixed bag of ideas and execution, but the overall experience of seeing the movie is worth considering because of the sheer star power at play – notably Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. The film is humming best as it moves along, thanks to lengthened action sequences where director David Leitch squeezes every ounce of juice from the movie.
John Wick: Chapter 4
In terms of contemporary action movies, John Wick: Chapter 4 (and the entire John Wick franchise, honestly) has separated itself from the pack. Each detail, idea, and set piece is perfectly crafted to build out a world that feels so fully realized. Somehow, Keanu Reeves and director Chad Stahelski continue to find new ways to keep the franchise fresh.
The Gray Man
When The Gray Man is working at its best, it has the wiseass-ery of Chris Evans at the center, even if it takes a decent amount of runtime for him to even enter the fold. Otherwise, Ryan Gosling barely ties this comatose Netflix action movie together.
Sisu
Sisu mostly capitalizes on the carnage that it promises – that Nazis won’t make it out of this thing. But outside of a few killer sequences, Sisu can’t quite match the stellar run of competing genre movies, resulting in one with clear influences.
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Mission: Impossible – Fallout isn’t just the high point of its own franchise—it’s a modern action masterpiece, arguably one of the greatest action films ever made. As the sixth installment in the Mission: Impossible series, Fallout takes everything that made the previous films thrilling and dials it up to a level that almost feels physically exhausting—in the best possible way.
Triple Frontier
J.C. Chandor delivers another remarkably succinct heist drama with Triple Frontier – with a cast about as strong as one can possibly get. Oscar Isaac and Ben Affleck lead a team of former special ops soldiers into South America to retrieve a large sum of money, and the events spiral from there. Chandor’s 2019 film stands among the best action movies of the late-2010s.
Ghosted
On paper, the talent for Ghosted should be enough to carry a weak script. But the technical and creative elements are too far gone to salvage any form of a watchable movie. Ana de Armas, Chris Evans, and a host of cameos fall victim to a remarkably unremarkable film.
Argylle
Apple TV+ dumped Argylle early in the year for a reason. Although the cast is undeniably stacked, including a supporting cast of Samuel L. Jackson, Bryan Cranston, Henry Cavill, John Cena, and more, it comes off as hollow and drab as anything Matthew Vaughn has made. Skip over this, because the constant plot twists and straining humor is more exhausting than it is interesting.
Train to Busan
Yeon Sang-ho’s Train to Busan is a visual feast as survivors band together on a speeding bullet train. It delivers the right amount of thrills and action set pieces. Although the dramatic elements and character development may seem underbaked, the film rarely faulters and crashes off course.
READ MORE: Bullet Train (2022)
