The Girl on the Train

Starring: Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Edgar Ramirez, Laura Prepon, Allison Janney, Darren Goldstein, Lisa Kudrow
Directed by: Tate Taylor
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Mystery
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A woman (Emily Blunt) believes she may have witnessed a murder, but her foggy memory of the incident pulls her deeper into a web of betrayal, lies, and death.

Review:

Tim: The Girl on the Train looked to be the next Gone Girl by capitalizing on its similar feel. Both are dark, steamy, mature movies primarily aimed at women that offer a different, more shocking experience than the usual targeted at that demographic. That's not a bad thing at all, because you can only take so many subpar romantic comedies and family dramas. Whereas Gone Girl had director David Fincher to elevate the material, this film has to make due with Tate Taylor. Taylor's not a bad director, but he isn't able to turn this into anything truly special. The Girl on the Train is a good movie, a twisting, unexpected thriller. However, it never hits with the emotional impact it should have.

I haven't read Paula Hawkins' book (I actually plan to, but I didn't want to spoil the movie) but the story seems involved, dark, and shocking. I really appreciated that about the film. Not everything needs to be light and fun. This is a dark, moody movie and that's a good thing. However, I will say that you can take this too far, and Taylor's film starts to approach utter bleakness. There were moments where it felt impossibly dark and depressing. I like that they pushed the bar, but they might have pushed just a bit too far. This is a good movie, but it's so harsh that you probably won't want to watch it again and again.

The cast is incredibly strong. They didn't get a ton of big names, but they got strong actors who delivered impressive performances. Emily Blunt was really good in the lead role. She's dark and broken and Blunt embraces the unpleasant side of this character. It was fun to see a somewhat unsympathetic character in the lead role. The story around her is a good one, so even though we don't love the character, we support her through the story. Haley Bennett was fairly good in a small role. She's someone to keep an eye on. Rebecca Ferguson continues to impress. She didn't get a very glamorous role, but she quietly delivers a very strong performance. Justin Theroux was fairly decent in the film. I liked Luke Evans' strong, dominating performance. Edgar Ramirez is good in a smaller supporting role, too. Honestly, the whole cast works well together.

The story presents some really good mysteries and engages the audience in them. As I watched, I grew increasingly interested in how it would all turn out. I will say that I was never truly emotionally engaged with the story (which is a big issue), but I wasn't actively looking away. I wanted to see how the story would turn out. The movie is probably slightly too long- it dragged some in the middle. The answers to our questions are all revealed, but it often feels like it takes too long to get where we're going. It's interesting, but the movie isn't easily watchable. Once you get to the end, you're happy you took the journey, but you're also glad it is over.

I have to say, I did enjoy The Girl on the Train. It's an unexpected, twisting thriller. However, the movie is good, it's effective, but it's never great. Besides one or two shocking moments, the movie doesn't leave quite as powerful an impact as it needed to. Still, you can do far worse than this movie and I'd recommend checking it out.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Gone Girl, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo