The Girl on the Train
A divorcee becomes entangled in a missing persons investigation that promises to send shockwaves throughout her life.
Cast
Emily Blunt – Rachel Watson
Haley Bennett – Megan Hipwell
Justin Theroux – Tom Watson
Rebecca Ferguson – Anna Watson
Édgar Ramírez – Dr. Kamal Abdic
Allison Janney – Detective Sgt. Riley
Laura Prepon – Cathy
Blind Drunk Blunt
Ok, first off: Blunt is just fantastic in this movie. The actress holds the movie up singlehandedly with her portrayal of tormented Rachel. I’ve seen various things from her, but this role was vastly different both emotionally and dramatically. Blunt is incredibly convincing as she delivers lines whilst quaking with fear, or freezes with wide-eyed terrified facial expressions as tears fall from her eyes. This talent blended with some nice acting – from both her and co-stars – made for a highly entertaining watch. I felt engaged in the action unfolding on screen, especially as The Girl on the Train was directed in such a unique way. Had it been done differently, I probably would have been bored shitless. Hats off to Tate Taylor there for creating a very watchable mystery.
I felt a hint of Gone Girl from this movie; not plot-wise obviously, but the style of direction and supporting cast contributed nicely to the unique atmosphere. And in its own way this movie was slick, sexy. It differed nicely from most recent features I’ve sat down to watch. Tensity was the key ingredient here as every main member of cast kept each scene buzzing with their steely facial expressions, and dramatic pauses. This was a movie of incredibly watchable components, a movie I didn’t mind sitting through with my meatball and cheese Subway Footlong at all. And as for Blunt’s drunken antics..
Well..
Bloody hilarious to be honest. One scene sees Rachel sat (amazingly) on a train, when a random woman comes sits down next to her. Blunt’s slurred speech and puzzled facial expressions are incredibly convincing as she plays half-pissed Rachel. In fact, I think I found this so funny because of how realistic she was. The woman does great here and the chemistry between her and the backing cast member is entertaining to watch, however short this scene is.
‘Funny pisshead’ quickly spirals into tragic hysteria as our lead character becomes too heavily involved in the disappearance of a local foxy young lady. Cue shaking and screaming (as mentioned above) as Blunt takes charge of the screen with emotional gusto. And another way in which the Gone Girl aspect shines through are the character relationships; just how Nick (Affleck) lived with his sister and relied on her to step in, it’s the same here with Rachel who lives with her friend Cathy (Prepon). Except Cathy adds less of a buzz, and seems to piss off shortly after delivering a few lines.
What Went Wrong
Although entertaining enough, The Girl on the Train does have its dreary moments. Moments of quiet, where the story seems to stroll along at a neutral pace and nothing eventful happens. Soap opera-style living room chats, arguments or bickering between man and wife, even the saucy blonde (Bennett) takes over at various points with lengthy scenes involving her sitting on her therapist’s sofa (and sucking his finger halfway through a sesh, bizarrely. I mean, if you’re going to go the whole pop you would at least get his cock out).
Cocks aside, this movie excels at being 50-50. At being both dramatically entertaining, and dull. It’s certainly not one of the most groundbreaking movies I have seen, but it does fill 110 minutes quite nicely.
But if you’re a fan of the book will you lap up the film?..
..I’ve no idea. I haven’t read Paula Hawkins’ mystery.
I did however notice most of the audience were male-female couples and singular females. They seemed to be enjoying it too (the Asian girl sat next to me seemed a little too excited during a murder scene, worryingly).
I assumed most of these females had read the book, but hey – usually the movie doesn’t live up to it, so who knows if they’re on a par.
The Girl on the Train is bloody perfect for a cozy Saturday night in. A heavily diluted Gone Girl as it may be, it fills a hole if you’re hungry for entertainment.
BUT…
Blunt.
Right choice of casting to play the lead? Or could they have used someone better?
For some reason, she didn’t sit right with me; perhaps because of the more softer roles she usually plays. Stepping out of this standard and playing a tragic drunk was strange. I’m not sure it was the role for her. That said, she puts her all into Rachel and delivers the goods – so bugger it, decide for yourselves..
Ricky's Film Reviews 