" Tren Bala " (Spanish for "Bullet Train") most commonly refers to David Leitch's 2022 high-octane action film starring Brad Pitt, though it also relates to the original novel by Kōtarō Isaka and the actual Shinkansen travel experience.

Brad Pitt’s performance as the unlucky "Ladybug" is widely praised, though some critics at The Daily Telegraph felt he was miscast in a role better suited for someone like Ryan Reynolds. The chemistry between "The Twins" (Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry) is often cited as a highlight.

This film is a stylish, ultra-violent, and often absurd journey following five assassins who discover their missions are interconnected while aboard a Japanese high-speed train.

Readers on Goodreads note that while the movie is "flashy," the book is more subtle and subversive, focusing on a complex web of double-crosses.