Film review: The Girl On The Train (4 out of 5)

There's always the inherent danger of transforming a popular novel on to the big screen. It will be under intense scrutiny and compared to the source material.
Emily Blunt in The Girl On The Train SUS-161113-155018001Emily Blunt in The Girl On The Train SUS-161113-155018001
Emily Blunt in The Girl On The Train SUS-161113-155018001

In a bid to judge The Girl On The train purely as a film in its own right I made a point of not reading the book.

However, I did see the movie with two people who had.

As a ‘novice’ to the story, I have to say the plot certainly worked for me, full of tension and plot twists that I didn’t spot (although I confess I’m rubbish at the latter anyway).

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Emily Blunt in the lead role is exceptional, backed up by Haley Bennett and Rebecca Ferguson.

In fact it’s the women who shine in this film, the men less so.

And any film with Allison Janney is a good starting point.

Blunt plays Rachel, an alcoholic who travels on the train each day to New York, passing her ex-husband’s house, catching a glimpse of his new, happy life with wife and child.

However, the ex’s nanny goes missing and Rachel is drawn into the investigation, with revelations that will ultimately transform her life.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Director Tate Taylor (The Help, Winter’s Bone) brings his ability to deal with tough emotions to the project and there’s certainly a lot of them flying around.

So overall I rather enjoyed the movie, although the male characters were a bit two dimensional.

And for my wife and daughter who had read the book? No surprise to say they felt that a fair amount of the book’s detail was left out and some of the more subtle elements were passed over.

Film details: The Girl On The Train (15) 152mins

Director: Tate Taylor

Starring: Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson

Screening courtesy of Horsham Capitol

Related topics: