The Girl on the Train, the latest psychodrama to hit the screens, sees Emily Blunt deliver a tour-de-force performance. However, is this enough to keep audiences hooked for nearly two hours? Let’s find out in The Girl on the Train film review.
The Girl on the Train Film Review – The Story
The story of The Girl on the Train revolves around three young ladies, namely, Rachel (Emily Blunt), Megan (Haley Bennett), and Anna (Rebecca Ferguson). Rachel is a perpetual alcoholic. In her deeply melancholic state, she fantasizes and obsesses while seeing the “perfect couple,” Megan and Scott (Luke Evans), from the window of her train that she takes to work every day. Her ex-husband, Tom (Justin Theroux) and his wife, Anna, reside a few houses apart. One day, while commuting, Rachel sees Megan making out with a stranger on her porch. This incident upsets her greatly.
After a few days, she hears of Megan missing. The day Megan disappears, Rachel has a blackout in a tunnel. When cops find Megan’s body in the woods nearby, the hunt is on for the murderer. However, Rachel tries to find out on her own who could be behind this heinous crime. Dr. Kamal (Édgar Ramírez), who is Megan’s shrink, is also in the thick of things. The last half hour sees the final twist in this adaptation of Paula Hawkins‘ novel.
The Girl on the Train Film Review – The Positives
As I mentioned before, Emily Blunt is on fire here. She may well be knocking at the Oscars for her consistently melancholic, pathos-driven, and emotional rendition of Rachel Watson in The Girl on the Train. Hers is one of the finest performances thus far this year coming from a female lead. Having said that, Rebecca Ferguson and Haley Bennett are convincing in their roles and The Girl on the Train scores high on acting.
I would also like to highlight the major plot twist right at the end of the film. If you haven’t read the novel, you are unlikely to see it coming. Here again, The Girl on the Train manages to score points as it keeps you hooked right till the very end.
The Girl on the Train Film Review – The Negatives
As the film builds to the big twist before the finale, you aren’t quite as involved in the mystery regarding Megan’s murderer as you would have liked to be. There are signs that certain characters (from time to time) might be behind it, but the way in which the director presents has much scope for improvement.
At nearly two hours, The Girl on the Train seems a tad long. Better editing could have worked here.
The Final Word
While The Girl on the Train may not be the best psychodrama that you are likely to have seen, it certainly has its moments, and at least for the fans of this genre, it will not be a disappointing walk to the theater.
Stars: 3.5/5
What do you think?