Girl on the Train: Topsy-Turvy

Emily Blunt comes prepared to deliver a prestigious performance, while the rest of the film derails halfway through due to a muddled direction and narrative.

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​Based on the psychological thriller by British author Paula Hawkins, Girl on the Train has been praised as the “Next Gone Girl.” Unfortunately, for the film that doesn’t seem to add up. Leaving the book aside, director Tate Taylor (The Help and Get on Up) doesn’t do the film any justice as he lurks into dull flashbacks and exploitative melodrama. The one aspect the film did succeed from was Emily Blunt’s outstanding performance as Rachel Watson.

Rachel, an alcoholic and a recent divorcé, spends her daily commute fantasizing about a perfect couple living in a house that her train passes every day. Until Rachel sees something out of the ordinary and from there a mystery unfolds. With not spoiling too much of the plot, Girl on the Train tries to carefully unveil it’s scandal of entanglements slowly throughout the film. What may have been the book’s silver lining is instead the film’s Achilles heel because director Tate Taylor fails to cohesively bring together the books mysteries as a whole.

​Taylor’s envision for the film comes out scatterbrained, leaving actors Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Justin Theroux, Allison Janney, Lisa Kudrow, Luke Evans and Edgar Ramirez in a rut. There were, however, moments that did grab your attention all thanks to Blunt’s impeccable performance. In the end, Girl on the Train comes and goes leaving viewers stranded on the tracks. The film is Gone Girl without the thrill, but Blunt was still able to shine through all of the narrative whoopla. Nevertheless, the film’s premise intrigued me enough to want to read the best-selling book on a cold fall day. 

Girl on the Train is rated R (Restricted). For violence, sexual content, language and nudity.