The Girl on the Train - Review
Director: Tate Taylor
Cast: Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Edgar Ramirez, Alison Janney.
When it was announced that The Girl on the Train, the novel that rocked the world, was going to be made into a future film, enthusiastic fans jumped aboard the mystery-thriller express. News of acclaimed actress Emily Blunt portraying Rachel, the book's questionable but fascinating protagonist? Well consider me a part of the procession! However, the revelation that the film's setting would be moved from London to New York meant disgruntled passengers exited the hype train at the next station. With an already tumultuous relationship with audiences, does The Girl on the Train prove itself to be worth the price of the ticket? And more importantly - how long will this train metaphor last?
Alcoholic divorcee Rachel (Emily Blunt) rides the train into Manhattan everyday, staring out of the window and fantasising about the life of a couple whose house she passes on her commute. However, the illusion of perfection is shattered when she witnesses the wife (Megan Hipwell, played by Haley Bennett) clinched in an embrace with another man. Still bitter and heartbroken over her ex-husband Tom's (Justin Theroux) swift re-marrying, she is alarmingly perturbed by Megan's unfaithfulness and wakes up the next morning covered in blood after a night out on the booze, with no recollection as to how she sustained the injuries. Shortly after, Megan is reported missing and Rachel turns detective to solve the mystery - but is she responsible?
Inevitable comparisons are being made between The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl; both are adapted from two of the most popular books of the 2010's, both chronicle the case of a missing woman and, well, both have 'girl' in their title. Unfortunately, The Girl on the Train failed to secure a director of the calibre of David Fincher. With Fincher's distinctive visual flair and penchant for depicting such multi-faceted and enigmatic characters, Tate Taylor is walking in the footsteps of giants. Without a strong creative voice, Taylor's vision never wows, although his conviction at portraying alcoholism so unflinchingly is commendable.
One thing both Girl's do share are performances from their leading ladies that become the lightening rod of mainstream conversation. Blunt brings all of the necessary nuances to make this deeply flawed and troubled woman the protagonist of the picture, whom we follow and root for whilst simultaneously distrust. We pity and sympathise with her sorrowful state but also fear her capabilities as she demonstrates acts of destructive and potentially dangerous behaviour, particularly during a bathroom scene where a drunken (as she often is) Rachel slowly loses her fraught composure and unleashes a hateful tirade against Megan and her ex-husband's new wife, Anna (Rebecca Ferguson). However, there are moments where Blunt feels miscast as her movie-star looks and persona are hard to remove from the dishevelled and toxic character she portrays.
Narratively told through the experiences of the film's trio of leading ladies (Rachel, Megan and Anna), the relationship between them all is complex and often antagonistic, but they are all inherently connected as victims of domesticity. Rachel is bereft by the fact that she cannot carry children, Megan is reluctant to start a family with her husband Scott (Luke Evans) despite his persistent pleas and Anna struggles to achieve the life of blissful motherhood she envisioned for herself. The examination of societal pressures felt by women in a suburban environment is The Girl on the Train's most interesting and unexpected component but ultimately could have benefitted from more explicit attention.
Rushed revelations and discoveries that intend to shock but merely stir, The Girl on the Train may not careen off the rails, but it doesn't take us to the desired destination, either. Whilst it may be seasonally appropriate and a good ol' fashioned mystery is a welcome change from CGI driven vehicles, the film is unfortunately forgettable and will most likely fail to ignite such heated conversation that other book-to-screen adaptations have in the past.
EB
Cast: Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Edgar Ramirez, Alison Janney.
Alcoholic divorcee Rachel (Emily Blunt) rides the train into Manhattan everyday, staring out of the window and fantasising about the life of a couple whose house she passes on her commute. However, the illusion of perfection is shattered when she witnesses the wife (Megan Hipwell, played by Haley Bennett) clinched in an embrace with another man. Still bitter and heartbroken over her ex-husband Tom's (Justin Theroux) swift re-marrying, she is alarmingly perturbed by Megan's unfaithfulness and wakes up the next morning covered in blood after a night out on the booze, with no recollection as to how she sustained the injuries. Shortly after, Megan is reported missing and Rachel turns detective to solve the mystery - but is she responsible?
Inevitable comparisons are being made between The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl; both are adapted from two of the most popular books of the 2010's, both chronicle the case of a missing woman and, well, both have 'girl' in their title. Unfortunately, The Girl on the Train failed to secure a director of the calibre of David Fincher. With Fincher's distinctive visual flair and penchant for depicting such multi-faceted and enigmatic characters, Tate Taylor is walking in the footsteps of giants. Without a strong creative voice, Taylor's vision never wows, although his conviction at portraying alcoholism so unflinchingly is commendable.
One thing both Girl's do share are performances from their leading ladies that become the lightening rod of mainstream conversation. Blunt brings all of the necessary nuances to make this deeply flawed and troubled woman the protagonist of the picture, whom we follow and root for whilst simultaneously distrust. We pity and sympathise with her sorrowful state but also fear her capabilities as she demonstrates acts of destructive and potentially dangerous behaviour, particularly during a bathroom scene where a drunken (as she often is) Rachel slowly loses her fraught composure and unleashes a hateful tirade against Megan and her ex-husband's new wife, Anna (Rebecca Ferguson). However, there are moments where Blunt feels miscast as her movie-star looks and persona are hard to remove from the dishevelled and toxic character she portrays.
Narratively told through the experiences of the film's trio of leading ladies (Rachel, Megan and Anna), the relationship between them all is complex and often antagonistic, but they are all inherently connected as victims of domesticity. Rachel is bereft by the fact that she cannot carry children, Megan is reluctant to start a family with her husband Scott (Luke Evans) despite his persistent pleas and Anna struggles to achieve the life of blissful motherhood she envisioned for herself. The examination of societal pressures felt by women in a suburban environment is The Girl on the Train's most interesting and unexpected component but ultimately could have benefitted from more explicit attention.
Rushed revelations and discoveries that intend to shock but merely stir, The Girl on the Train may not careen off the rails, but it doesn't take us to the desired destination, either. Whilst it may be seasonally appropriate and a good ol' fashioned mystery is a welcome change from CGI driven vehicles, the film is unfortunately forgettable and will most likely fail to ignite such heated conversation that other book-to-screen adaptations have in the past.
EB
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