Since I read the book, "The Girl on the Train," before seeing the movie, I wasn't surprised by the twist at the end and I still didn't like Rachel even though I like Emily Blunt, who plays the central character. The book, by Paula Hawkins, depends on the 'unreliable narrator,' which doesn't work in a visual medium. In the book, you're not sure if what Rachel reports is true or not. In the movie, director Tate Taylor employs blurred images which are likely not 'real,' but the confusion is whether this is from Rachel's perspective or a more neutral omniscient point-of-view. Nonetheless, Emily Blunt's performance is strong and sympathetic and the best thing about the movie. The rest of the cast falls into predictable stereotypes, including Justin Theroux as the controlling ex-husband, Rebecca Ferguson as the self-absorbed new wife and Haley Bennett as the femme fatale who gets in over her head.
Rachel (Blunt) spends long stretches of each weekday riding the train back and forth into New York City. Along the way, there's a particular house she looks for. Living there is her version of the ideal couple: pretty, blonde Megan (Bennett) and her husband, Scott (Luke Evans). Every time she sees them, the seem so much in love. She feels betrayed when she glimpses Megan sharing a kiss with a man who we later find out is her psychiatrist, Dr. Abdic (Edgar Ramirez). We also learn that Rachel used to live a couple of houses away from Megan and Scott. That was before alcoholism claimed her marriage. Now, her ex-husband (Theroux) lives there with his new wife, Anna (Ferguson). Things become complicated when Megan disappears. "The Girl on the Train" is watchable, but it wasn't the thriller it was supposed to be.
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