The
Girl On The Train
Get ready to meet the most mentally and emotionally unstable group of
people ever assembled on a screen (and who are not running for
President).
Emily Blunt stars as Rachel – a lost soul of a woman whose life
is in shambles. Each day, she rides the train past her old home and has
to witness her ex-husband’s, Tom (Justin Theroux), new life with
the new wife, Anna (Rebecca Ferguson).
However, Rachel finds herself oddly fascinated and obsessed with one of
the neighbors, Megan (Haley Bennett). When it looks like this blonde
bombshell is cheating on her husband, Scott (Luke Evans), Rachel flies
off the handle and, in a drunken rage, decides to go confront the
cheater.
Of course, Megan disappears, and Rachel cannot produce an alibi.
What happened to Megan?
Who is responsible?
What I mentioned above is a small slice of the tangled web weaved by
writer Erin Cressida Wilson (based on the novel by Paula Hawkins),
which leaves the audience mired in a melodramatic soap opera full of
red herrings in an attempt to produce a shocking climax. I’ll
admit, the climax isn’t horrible, but The Girl On The Train
has too much filler to ever be as mysterious and full of tension as it
needs to be.
Director Tate Taylor has us bouncing from theory to theory as each
revelation is doled out and each suspect makes himself look guiltier
and guiltier by the moment, but much of it comes from ridiculous,
unbelievable actions by our heroine. While we know Rachel is unhinged,
her behaviors and choices are ludicrous and would draw much more
investigative scrutiny. It becomes too much of a challenge to our
ability to suspend disbelief.
It’s a shame because Blunt is very good as she confronts the most
challenging performance of her career. She captures the desperation and
turmoil Rachel feels each and every day and gives enough context as to
why the character might be acting in an insane manner, while Taylor
brings a sexy, dangerous mood to the proceedings.
However, The Girl On The Train never achieves maximum thrill
levels. The mystery needs more relevant questions and developments, and
less forced complications.
The
Girl On The Train is rated R for violence,
sexual content, language and nudity.
112 Minutes
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