The Girl on the Train

I'm afraid that the whole phenomenon of The Girl on the Train is much more interesting than the thriller itself. However, the net product is a good female drama that shows that it is realized through a female lens. Well, why not? Actually, hip, hip, hooray. But all the PR hype, unfortunately, sells something else entirely, i.e., almost that it is a horror movie about an unstable mysterious woman who perhaps commits some crimes on a train in the moonlight or something. It would be worth analyzing if the product itself is not that good or if the promotion just doesn't believe it can sell the project without manipulation to a recipient who appreciates the topic/genre/whatever. I think it really misses the mark and that's a shame. (10/16/2016)

The book was better, it went more in depth. The disappearance was better, more shocking. Too bad there was such a rush to get to the plot. If I didn't know the characters from the book, the introduction just wouldn't have been enough. The brief flashbacks are not enough of a source to get information about the characters' pasts. I liked the Rachel’s discovery, even though a simpler path was taken to get there compared to the book. I see this moment as the most emotional of the entire film. The acting was handled very well. I'm just annoyed that the train in the film was headed to New York instead of London. There's a hell of a difference between Britain and the States. (10/19/2016)

The nice technical aspects of the film successfully hide the story’s secret and the actors are pleasant to look at. But when said secret is revealed, The Girl on the Train becomes a superficial, dime-a-dozen thriller with zero originality, popular with cinema audiences thanks only to the fame of the book on which it’s based original. And thanks to David Fincher’s Gone Girl. (10/12/2016)

A rare case where the adaptation perfectly copies the emotional and subjectively perceptual arc of the original, including its greatest strengths and weaknesses. It builds a perfectly constructed female triangle, pulling closer with every scene, a paranoid atmosphere where no explanation of the mystery is too far-fetched – and unfortunately, a conclusion that disappointed me as the absolute simplest and altogether black-and-white solution. Despite that, thanks to Emily Blunt, I was considering a higher rating for a long time, as she portrayed Rachel with credible emotions even in the subtlest nuances. Haley Bennett prevented me from doing so, sine despite her undeniable charms, she is too cold and cannot fully portray the idealized Megan due to her completely superfluous transparency. (10/24/2019)

At first glance, The Girl on the Train evokes Gone Girl, it depicts the issue of relationships that are extremely dysfunctional. Emily Blunt plays the role of an observant and sad alcoholic clinging to her past really well and her performance was truly convincing, as was the atmosphere and the raw authenticity of some of the scenes. However, compared Gone Girl, this film lacks some more WOW-effect at the end, something that would a chill down your spine spine; they could have gone even further, maybe. Moreover, it was clear to me from about halfway through who was responsible for the crime. In short, a film where the potential is visible, but not fully exploited. (11/05/2016)