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    The Girl on the Train

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    When I saw trailers for “The Girl on the Train”, I hoped it would be this year’s “Gone Girl”. It’s not. While the performances are excellent, the mystery to be solved falls apart slightly during the end. Nonetheless, I think it’s worth your time.

    Rachel Watson (Emily Blunt) is an alcoholic who may hold a crucial clue to a mystery. While riding on the train to work, she spies through the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of a young couple she believes have a perfect marriage. When the woman disappears, Rachel’s fragmented memory compels her to try and help. Her actions are scrutinized by the police who discover the missing woman used to work as a nanny for Rachel’s ex-husband and his new wife. Justin Theroux plays Tom, Rachel’s ex-husband. Rebecca Ferguson plays Anna, the woman he left Rachel for. Haley Bennett plays Megan, the missing woman and Luke Evans plays her husband, Tom.

    The best thing about this film is Emily Blunt. It’s a testament to her talent as an actress that she can so convincingly play a drunk, broken, desperate woman this well. She never over does it. You can see that beneath the surface is a person that could be healthy and happy, but it’s buried underneath layers of drinks and embarrassing nights, evenings spent crying and lost opportunities. She wants to be relevant and try to help solve the case, but in doing so she risks irreparably damaging what little faith others have in her. I wanted her to come out of this all right so badly and I never questioned why she was getting involved. That’s a big hurdle to overcome and the film clears over it smoothly.

    I slam films when I am able to figure out what is happening ahead of time so it’s only appropriate that I praise one for fooling me. When I saw Lisa Kudrow is a small role early into the film, I thought I had figured it all out. I thought I was so smart, but I wasn’t. There are a lot of pieces moving around and a lot of people that could be involved in the disappearance. I don’t think you’ll ever be bored during the film, waiting for Rachel or the police to catch up to you. However, I have a complaint about the mystery itself. In some ways, the film cheats. It’s not as bad as say… “My Bloody Valentine 3-D”, but it’s somewhat in the same vein. On the one hand, I don’t like that the mystery is nearly impossible to solve with the clues you’re given, but on the other, I think that it works somewhat. In retrospect, I should’ve been suspicious of the information that was divulged and been able to read between the lines. There are aspects of the mystery that don’t add up and I should’ve taken a step back and said “someone is lying. It’s either the script, the camera, the characters or the director”. It’s not as elegant as I would’ve liked in the end, it does work. When you have all of the pieces, you’ll see how they fit.

    I think that for the most part, the film is quite good. You learn little bits and pieces about these characters and you’re constantly second-guessing what you thought about them previously. You’re invested in the plot as you try and deduce how all of these stories are connected. They have to be connected… right?

    What I can without remorse criticize the film for is the last act of “The Girl on the Train”. The way the pieces fit is great. The actions taken by the characters are not. The film’s conclusion hinges on two people acting very, very foolishly just so we can have a big dramatic confrontation. It’s badly written.

    I think that mysteries fall into three categories. Either they suck, they’re so great you can watch them over and over again despite knowing where it’s headed, or they’re good but don’t have any re-watch value. This film falls into the later category. Even if the picture was total rubbish, Emily Blunt is so good in it that I’d be recommending you check it out. Thankfully, it’s a fun little knot to see get unraveled despite the letdown of a conclusion. “The Girl on the Train” is not a thriller that we’ll be talking about years from now, but I give it a mild recommendation nonetheless. (Theatrical version on the big screen, October 16, 2016)

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    adamwatchesmovies@  19.10.2016 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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