The Girl on the Train
Starring Emily Blunt, Justin Theroux
Directed by Tate Taylor
Curiously devoid of suspense or thrills, The Girl on the Train should have stayed on the pages of the bestseller. Based on Paula Hawkins’ popular novel, Emily Blunt stars as an alcoholic divorcée who spends her mornings drinking alone on the same New York train route. One night she stumbles off the train only to black out near a wooded area and wakes up in her home with no recollection of what happened. Soon enough, she becomes embroiled in a missing persons investigation and thus entangled in a web of lies, deceit, and clichéd tropes.
The script, adapted by Erin Cressida Wilson, is so full of needless backstory, endless red herrings, and pointless twists it’s hard to care about any of the people or their outcome. To make matters worse, the hackneyed writing makes a talented ensemble cast – featuring Alison Janney, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Rebecca Ferguson, and Edgar Ramirez – seem like inexperienced amateurs. To her credit, Blunt turns out a searing performance in some of her best dramatic work yet, and The Girl on the Train is not without its intrigue.
Aesthetically, the movie’s crisp yet pulpy look (courtesy of cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen) gives the film admirable style, and Danny Elfman’s musical score provides effective accompaniment.
In the end, though, these elements are not enough to save the meandering, stilted pacing and thinly-sketched characters in this complete misfire. Even the mystery’s tone is bungled, one moment wallowing in heavy-handed noir, then sliding into misguided dark comedy the next.
