Director Tate Taylor
Genre Mystery | Thriller
Cast Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Luke Evans, Rebecca Ferguson
Rating R
Release Date October 7th, 2016
“A divorcee becomes entangled in a missing persons investigation that promises to send shockwaves throughout her life.”
The Girl on the Train is a psychological thriller directed by actor/director Tate Taylor (The Help, Get on Up). The film is based on the book of the same name written by Paula Hawkins. At the time of this review, the book stands as the fastest-selling adult novel in history (according to iMDB.com). The Girl on the Train has an impressive cast lead by Emily Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow, Sicario). The cast also includes Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett (The Magnificent Seven), Justin Theroux, and Edgar Ramirez (Point Break).
Although it falls short of its paperback counterpart, The Girl on the Train is an effective thriller with above average acting. I read the book this past spring and once you get through about a quarter of the book, you won’t be able to put it down. I was thrilled when I found out Emily Blunt would be playing the lead role in the film version as she is easily one of my favorite actresses. Critics were very hard on The Girl on the Train which had me concerned, but I also understood just how difficult it can be to transition a book to a film. The Girl on the Train is told in such a unique way with shifting perspectives that I knew it would be nearly impossible to come even close to the expectations set by the book. After finally seeing the film to allow myself the opportunity to form my own opinion, I enjoyed it. Perhaps that was partly due to having developed lower expectations but I felt that it was well acted and entertaining. It is important to mention that my girlfriend who went in having not yet read the book had nothing but good things to say.
In The Girl on the Train Emily Blunt delivers a fantastic performance as troubled Rachel Watson. Rachel's character is full of seemingly insurmountable demons brought on by a failed marriage and more than her fair share of bad luck. The key with her character is the ability to draw sympathy from the audience, while continuing to solidify a feeling of uneasiness with her character and Blunt more than succeeds in that regard. Blunt occupies the majority of the screen time but in my personal opinion the next most notable performance is delivered by Rebecca Ferguson in her role as Anna. Best known for Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Ferguson is a beautiful and extremely versatile actress who is in the process of building quite the resume for herself. Veteran actor Justin Theroux (who most recently has delivered award-winning performances on HBO's recurring drama The Leftovers) more than pulls his weight in a pivotal role.
The Girl on the Train was unable to live up to the high expectations set by the book but that shouldn’t deter people from giving it a chance. With a strong cast and a deeply involved story, it still stands as a solid thriller worth the price of admission. If you read the book I suggest lowering your expectations and if you are going in to the theater with a blank slate you will be impressed.
