The Girl on the Train

What did she see?
What did she see?
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN (15)
D: Tate Taylor
Universal/Dreamworks/Reliance (Marc Platt)
USA 🇺🇸 2016
112 mins

Mystery/Thriller

W: Erin Cressida Wilson [based on the novel by Paula Hawkins]
DP: Charlotte Bruus Christensen
Ed: Michael McCusker & Andrew Buckland
Mus: Danny Elfman

Emily Blunt (Rachel Watson), Haley Bennett (Megan Hipwell), Rebecca Ferguson (Anna Boyd), Justin Theroux (Tom Watson), Luke Evans (Scott Hipwell), Alison Janney (Det. Sgt. Riley), Edgar Ramirez (Dr. Kamir Abdic), Lisa Kudrow (Martha)

This 2016 thriller starring Emily Blunt doesn't possess the most original story, but the novel approach to the mystery unfolding makes it a very interesting addition to the genre.
Emily Blunt plays Rachel, an alcoholic divorcee with a rather unhealthy obsession with her past. On her morning commutes to New York City, she passes her old picket-fence neighbourhood and develops an idyllic preoccupation with a couple who live next door to the house where her ex-husband lives with his new family.
One day, during an inebriated stupor, she witnesses an event through her carriage window which thrusts her deep into a missing person investigation and subsequently becomes a homicide inquiry, but due to her alcoholism, she can't remember how the events transpired.
The choppy narrative makes it imperative to follow the story closely, as the story of three different women manifests itself, and though the finale feels a little clichéd, the fine performances of the cast hold it all together, particularly Emily Blunt, who I personally think is the best actress yet to be nominated for an academy award. I'm not too sure if this film will see her time come, but it may not be a bad early shout.
The film does draw some comparisons with Gone Girl, but isn't quite as clever.
6/10

Emily Blunt in The Girl on the Train
Emily Blunt in The Girl on the Train