The Girl On The Train

This review may contain spoilers!

This is an intriguing film that stands out due to Emily Blunt's performance and the incredible plot twist it pulls off. I would give The Girl On The Train a 7/10.

This is a very tense, thriller with a steady build up to a great revelation at the end. When the murderer is revealed to be none other than Tom this is both shocking and serves the narrative quite well; the abuse and mistreatment the three female leads have been subjected to is horrifying and as equally rewarding when justice is dealt unto Tom. The cinematography looks great and has a very artistic vibe, I enjoyed that the focus was never really perfectly centred and how characters seemed to slip off to the side. The score is hauntingly good, it really helps to set the atmosphere of mounting tension and anxiety as the film progresses.

Emily Blunt, who played Rachel, is an exceptional leading actress in this film; Blunt manages to craft a rather frail and erratic character who despite her sometimes questionable behaviour you can't help empathising with. Haley Bennett, who played Megan, has really had a good year for her films and has been stunning in them; Bennett's character is really interesting and her constant struggle to understand herself makes for one of the more memorable characters of the film. Rebecca Ferguson, who played Anna, plays a very cold and distant housewife; Ferguson's portrayal of a woman's fear for her own safety and that of her child is really well done. Luke Evans, who played Scott, has an intense physicality to his role; this is a very aggressive and violent character who seems quite antagonistic for a lot of the film. Allison Janney, who played Detective Riley, is one of best performances of the film; her hard edge and very blunt detective was one of my favourite characters. Lisa Kudrow, who played Martha, is very good at delivering stand out minor roles; this is a compassionate performance in which the plot twist of the film begins to be revealed.

However the best performance came from Justin Theroux, who played Tom. This film banks so much on the plot twist working well and thanks to Theroux this goes off without a hitch. I enjoyed seeing his performance as a rather reasonable and respectable father and husband when we're first introduced to Tom. However when he is revealed to be volatile and abusive a lot of the film just snaps into focus; this is a man who's a very real danger. One of the better antagonists to come out of 2016.

This film does take it's time to really kick off the murder mystery that's at the heart of this film, even when the murder takes place the action is slow and the character interactions and constant flashbacks are a drag on the film. The focus upon the three main women is great but the method to present their stories is very jarring. The editing doesn't help matters much, often lingering upon shots and allowing the pacing to slow even further.

Edgar Ramirez, who played Dr. Kamal Abdic, wasn't very convincing as a restrained therapist; Ramirez monotone drawl really lets down a lot of Bennett's scenes. Laura Prepon, who played Cathy, was without a doubt one of the worst performances of this film; it just felt like she was acting as opposed to presenting a character. Darren Goldstein, who played Man In The Suit, just didn't have the screen presence to really earn his place amongst the supporting cast; Goldstein's weak stammered scene with Blunt is very memorable.