The Girl on the Train

I like thrillers in a similar vein. That’s also the reason why I gave it one more star than the movie deserves. For most of the runtime, I was actually quite conflicted and I didn’t know what to think about any of the main characters that appeared in the movie. The movie had a strong source material by Paula Hawkins and so I rummaged through the past, the present, and subsequently also fiction and alternative facts. Eventually, the last half an hour, which had balls, started, and it explained a whole plethora of characters, which satisfied me quite a bit. Even though I predicted it a bit differently. Nevertheless, I must admit that there is something about this movie, and even though I spent 90 minutes as if under the haze of alcohol, it still managed to rise to a solid four-star review. (01/21/2017)

Misery porn with didactic directing and a comically transparent screenplay, from which the killer emerges after about twenty minutes. So, all that remains is to enjoy the overacting of all of the participants, a cute-looking gloom and an exploitative ending, which could be provocative in the hands of a more capable director. It's a Gone Girl for stay-at-home moms and a wannabe psychological probe into relationship misery. As a thriller, no. As an unintentionally cheesy chick flick from the dark red library's provenance? Sure. (10/06/2016)

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)

Yes, I know that Gone Girl was filmed better, but I liked The Girl on the Train a little more. The thing is, while watching this story, I didn't shake my head in disbelief as often, and I liked the way the film stayed grounded and didn't need to hurl one “surprising" twist after another at us. And although I know she's an excellent actress, I've never seen Emily Blunt act this great before. (02/28/2021)

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)