Mise-en-scène

 Good afternoon! Today, I got the wonderful opportunity to analyze the Mise en Scene of one of what I believe to be the most underrated movies of all time, Bullet Train. 

The film follows the protagonist, Ladybug, an unlucky assassin who seeks to turn over a new leaf and is determined to do his job peacefully without hurting anyone. Fate has other plans for him; however, as the film follows, his latest mission in Tokyo puts him head to head with other dangerous assassins, each with their own conflicting but connected objectives, all while stuck on a speeding train with no way out.

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The Hospital: Props, Lighting, and Framing

The film opens with a scene in a hospital, allowing viewers to meet The Father, the first of many highly dangerous individuals they will get to know as the movie goes on. With his own son hospitalized due to a near-fatal fall after being pushed off a roof, the scene showcases the depressed father as he sits quietly in his son's hospital room, blaming himself for not being there to protect his only son, hoping for him to wake up. 

The framing in this scene is nothing short of spectacular. With this being the first shot of the movie, the fact that the camera is positioned and framed outside the room's doorway is genius, with this opening scene giving the feeling to the viewers that they are, in a sense, walking into the life of this character that they have just met, acting as a great introduction to the movie. The view of the room is limited due to the wall blocking the left of the frame; this limitation allows watchers to focus on what they can see, which, of course, is the props of the room, such as the hospital bed. This allows us, as the audience, to start coming up with our own conclusions about what is going on in the scene before it is all eventually shown and explained to us. 

The Lighting of the shot is very eye-catching to the audience. Although the sun's burning light clearly shines into the room, it still holds a dark, shady ambient light, with our newly introduced character appearing as nothing more than a silhouette to the camera. All of this captures and perfectly encapsulates the dark and gloomy feeling of the scene, with The Father's silhouette showcasing the emptiness he feels for letting such a horrible thing happen to the one he loves most. 

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The Story Begins: Location and Lighting

After the opening, the film shows its title card and immediately jumps into the film's location, Tokyo, Japan. The scene starts with a birds-eye shot of the city, then shifts downward into the streets, where we, as the viewers, are shown even more details of the city's rich culture. 

The vibrant lighting throughout the city, such as the colorful signs in the photo above,  make the city feel alive and buzzing with people, and that is only emphasized by the crowds of people who are shown walking through the streets. All of this allows the audience to finally be introduced to the main protagonist of the story: Ladybug.

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The Twins Discovery: Actors and Costume

The next shot we will discuss involves two of the film's most recognizable and memorable characters: The Twins Lemon and Tangerine. These two have been contracted to protect the son of a very dangerous criminal and keep a close eye on a mysterious briefcase. Still, when they leave the son momentarily to check on the briefcase, they are shocked upon their return when they realize that the person they were hired to protect has been silently murdered without anyone on the train noticing. 

While these two are described as close friends who grew up together since their childhood, both characters are, in fact, very different from one another, and that is perfectly shown within this shot. The actors in Lemon and Tangerine play their roles to perfection throughout the film, and this scene allows them to showcase their characters and personalities in a unique way.

Lemon, played by movie and show star Brian Tyree Henry, is a calm and collected individual who is often shown analyzing the characteristics of the other people he faces throughout the film. The actor perfectly indicates that, as he leans closer to the dead body, sporting a fixated look on his face, as he analyzes the body, seeing if he can find clues or essential details about the mysterious death, just like what he does to everyone he meets throughout the film.

On the other hand, Tangerine, played by movie actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, is shown to be a more hands-on and brutal character throughout the film. His colorful dialogue and brutal honesty throughout the film, with him stressing and focusing on the objectives and tasks given to him and his twin. These details make the character so memorable to the audience, and the actor perfectly showcases the nature of Tangerine in this shot. While he leans into the body similar to his twin, he isn't doing it to analyze it, but to make sure that nobody else on the train realizes the fact that someone has been murdered onboard, with his brutal honesty showing as the actor sports a disgusted look on his face, both showing how he dislikes being so close to the body, while at the same time showing how unhappy he is that he has already failed his mission. 

Lastly, the two characters' costumes show off their personalities subtly but impactfully. While at first, their clothing may seem similar, with them leaning close to the camera, the audience can see that their clothing is actually vastly different.  Lemon is shown wearing an open denim jacket, revealing his orange tie and white shirt with blood stains. This showcases his laid-back nature through his costume, with him not caring about covering the blood stains, which could reveal his identity as a contract killer. Opposite to this, Tangerine is shown wearing a three-piece suit, with it being tightly closed rather than open like his twin, with him being the more severe and focused of the two characters; this added detail from the costume allows Tangerine's characteristics to be even more exemplified, just by his appearance.

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On The Run: Scenery, Lighting, and Props

After dealing with a life-threatening fight, we are shown Ladybug as he flees the scene of the crime, trying to find his way off of the train. With him running down multiple carts trying to find an exit, he and the audience alike are both seemingly surprised by the sudden change in scenery. Throughout the train, a majority of the carts have a modern aesthetic to them, but the scenery drastically contrasts every other part of the train that has been shown thus far.

 With the bright blue and pink lighting and props surrounding our protagonist as he runs by. Each seat prop is shown to have the same design as the children's cartoon mascot, Momonga, which was made specifically for the movie and was briefly mentioned just a few moments ago. With all of these small details, the audience can quickly conclude that this part of the train is made for children's entertainment, hence why it lacks the modern scenery that is present in every other part of the train.

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Train Station: Setting and Framing

When the fabled The White Death, the mastermind behind the plot, calls him to temporarily leave the train for a progress report with his twin and suitcase in hand, Tangerine immediately knows he's in trouble. 

The reason behind this is that he didn't have either. Neither he nor Ladybug, who had been fighting before the sudden phone call, knew where the suitcase was, and there was no way to contact Lemon to meet them outside in time to make it.  Thankfully, the quick-thinking Ladybug devises a plan: He goes outside with a different briefcase, acting as Lemon, as The White Death's men have never met either of the twins until now. 

Very few times does the setting go to the outside of the train, as the movie's whole premise revolves around being stuck within the train. With that said, even though the setting is outside the train, its still within the train station, with the train itself not being far away at all, as the audience is clearly able to see the train toward the right of the screen. Showcasing how even though they are out of the train for the time being, our two beloved characters still have a long way to go until they are finally set free. 

The framing of the shot is perfect, with the camera being placed behind Tangerine and Ladybug, It is as if we are hiding from the intimidating mobsters in front of us, similar to how Ladybug and Tangerine have to hide the fact that they are lying right to the faces of all the dangerous men.