The Girl on the Train
Universal Pictures
Paula Hawkins' 2015 novel "The Girl on the Train," wasn't a revelation, but was much needed after the immense popularity of "Gone Girl." Personally I read through it very quickly and found its twists and turns to be exactly what was needed to make for a good, enthralling thriller. The best aspect of the book was the unreliability of the narrator, (Rachel) who was a divorcee alcoholic with a penchant for misery and self-deprecation. Her blackouts serve as a great cloaking device for the mystery, and enable us the audience to suspect almost everyone, including Rachel (Blunt). Though the film tried its darndest to be "Gone Girl," alas it didn't capture the assured grim reality of being an unstable woman, or the darkness of the crime that drives the plot.
The reason I am being so harsh isn't just because this film isn't "Gone Girl," but because it veers away from the book in all the wrong ways. It changes Rachel from a complete mess of a human being into a slightly flawed neurotic; it rushes through its plot, casts a Venezuelan actor to play an Indian psychiatrist, and tries to play up its red herrings to its own detriment. While the twist in the book took its time to generate tension and disbelief in its villain, the film gives it away too soon and creates a strange ending in the process. So much of what made the book great lay in its darkness and sense of plot, and this film jumbles itself to try and keep us guessing to ill effect. The ending was probably the most disappointing aspect of the film because it makes little sense and loses all its tension so that it can feature an unneeded flashback. This in turn makes the ending nonsensical, and it's unclear just how Anna is handling the situation internally.
Maybe the ending’s issues lies in the miscasting of this entire film, because everyone involved feels wrong. Justin Theroux is too severe in his role as Tom, just as Jack Nicholson was already too frightening to be a convincing father in "The Shining." Rebecca Ferguson, who I so loved in "Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation," plays the exact opposite of Ilsa: a pathetic underling of her husband's whims, who can’t think for herself. Finally Haley Bennett was absolutely the worst choice to play a successful, wise gallery owner as she appears far too young. That and her character is simplified down to a sex addict with strange, awkward emotions that make her appear more crazy than interesting. No one seems to want to be in this movie except Emily Blunt, who is perfectly cast but isn't given enough onscreen to really zing as Rachel. All in all this film is flawed beyond repair, and needed a director willing to take chances, and a script that actually thrilled.
