The Girl on the Train (2016)

[CJohn]

Discuss it

[filmlover]

I quite enjoyed Paula Hawkins' novel for the trashy summer beach book that it was, and the movie is mostly a faithful adaptation of it, even if it can't help but lose something in translation due to the novel's shifting perspectives and many flashbacks to key events. The book was no Gone Girl, and Tate Taylor is no David Fincher in terms of generating intrigue. Still, this is certainly a handsomely-mounted movie that manages to keep the audience interested throughout. A lot of the credit really belongs to Emily Blunt, who pours her heart and soul into the alcohol-plagued Rachel, who is in close to every scene, and gives her many layers of humanity. It's another strong performance from one of the better actresses in the industry today. The film's other standout is Haley Bennett, who solidifies herself here as a promising talent. The rest of a good ensemble that includes Rebecca Ferguson, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Allison Janney, and Edgar Ramirez contributes fine work with what they're fed with. This is actually not nearly as entertaining as the book was to read, as director Taylor often seems to be avoiding the trashier elements of the material on purpose and the depiction of Rachel's alcoholism is mostly surface-level. Still, the movie is worth seeing just for Blunt alone. B-

[Maxmoser3]

Very good movie! Great twists and turns, and an excellent cast! One of the most smartest thrillers I have seen in recent years right next to Gone Girl. I highly recommend this film! grade: B+/A-. 

[ddddeeee]

It was silly.

 

They didn't shy away from Rachel's condition which was nice but seeing everything unfold just brings out how completely ridiculous this whole story is. 

 

Blunt is great but Rachel is impossible to root for. I had to root for her at the end but that's only because Tom becomes a moustache twirling villain. The 'happy' ending feels completely false and unearned. I ended up prefering Megan's story (which I did in the book too) and wish she'd played a larger part.

 

Very odd score from Elfman. Not the best standalone listen but very fresh and quirky - glad he had the opportunity to branch out.

 

It was rather fun once I started embracing the soap-opera nature of it all. But yeah, far too contrived and silly to be actually good.

 

[DeeCee]

The problem I had was that although the acting was fine I just didn't care or have any interesting in the characters. 

[Webslinger]

Like its source material, The Girl on the Train is a sufficiently solid whodunit, but has the potential to be even more bone-chilling than it is in its final form. The film's single biggest misstep - namely, its approach in the final twenty or so minutes - can be laid at the feet of the filmmakers' need to remain faithful to the novel. For most of its running time, it's an intriguing potboiler that thrives on the unreliable nature of its protagonist, but it then devolves into a standard-order thriller at the very end; in that regard, it's most comparable not to Gone Girl, but rather to fellow Hitchcock imitator Disturbia. In fact, with the law of conservation of characters in place and the lack of development of one of the key players, I imagine that the big "twist" will probably be even easier to decipher for viewers who haven't read the novel than it was for readers when they were flipping through Paula Hawkins's pages. Despite the narrative flaws, the film holds up largely through the strength of its performances. In particular, Emily Blunt is especially stellar as alcoholic protagonist Rachel Watson. Blunt doesn't miss a beat while charting Rachel's twisted attempt at rediscovering her worth while in the midst of a depressing downward spiral, thus further cementing her status as one of the industry's most consistently underrated performers (thanks to the critical and financial under-performance of the film, she won't get any awards attention for the film despite being worthy of it). Haley Bennett is also captivating and heartbreaking in the role of the missing woman, and Rebecca Ferguson does a lot with a little in what could easily have been a thankless role. Although director Tate Taylor's previous credits do not indicate that he would be the best choice to helm a lurid thriller, he once again delivers a solid product thanks to his ability to work with the performers in front of the camera; unfortunately, he can't quite stop an otherwise intriguing film from venturing into all-too-conventional waters in its third act.

 

B

[filmlover]

This movie would've literally been nothing without Blunt. Such a great performance that might've garnered an Oscar nomination in a much better movie overall.

[maninderdhingre]

The Girl on the Train  movie is a good but don't say best.

 

[Blankments]

For a thriller, The Girl on the Train lacks necessary intrigue. The first two acts are slow and meandering, and not in a good way at all. This is more thanks to the mediocre direction by Tate Taylor who lets scenes breathe far too much for the intensity this film needs. The only person giving any effort is Emily Blunt, giving a signature great performance. She elevates her relatively underwritten role greatly, and allows the first two acts to at least be watchable. The script has far too many red herrings for its own good, although a couple add more excitement than expected. The third act finally gives this thriller some necessary trashiness, with enthralling reveals and some expert moments in scripts. The Girl on the Train might feel like a overly serious female reboot of The Hangover with a boring mystery at the center at times, but the excellent ending and Blunt's performance make it worth the watch. C

[baumer]

The women in this were HAF.  All hail Hayley and Rebecca.  I mean, Hayley is just...oh my GOD!  That shower scene.  As for the movie, it was good.  Far from great but it keeps it twisting along until it finally drops enough clues for you to figure it out.  The V also makes an appearance on Evans, and of course the girls go wild.  Solid film, enjoyed it quite a bit, terrific performance from Blunt, terrific assets from Bennett and Ferguson.  All in all a good film just not mind blowingly awesome.

 

7.5/10

[filmlover]

52 minutes ago, Baumer liked Blair Witch said:

The women in this were HAF.  All hail Hayley and Rebecca.  I mean, Hayley is just...oh my GOD!  That shower scene.

Get out of Baumer, CJohn! The power of filmlover compels you!

[baumer]

31 minutes ago, filmlover said:

Get out of Baumer, CJohn! The power of filmlover compels you!

 

I've marveled at Hayley for a while now.  She was HAF in M7 also.

[filmlover]

1 hour ago, Baumer liked Blair Witch said:

 

I've marveled at Hayley for a while now.  She was HAF in M7 also.

I just wanted to point out how that was such a CJohn post. 

[The Futurist]

Bennet is great but I ll stick with The Original , thank you very much.

 

 

Also, all the characters of this movie were batshit insane so I had a very hard time to believe in  any of the situations presented but I had fun nonetheless.

 

[jb007]

Weird and uninteresting. I just could not find it within myself to care for the characters or tye story. Below average.

 

Rating:  C