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