Director Tate Taylor – who directed the powerfully emotional ‘The Help’ seems to have an affinity with female lead film; The Girl on the Train is no exception with three very different female personalities taking the limelight in this thrillingly tense film adaptation.
Only a year ago Paula Hawkin’s novel, ‘The Girl on the Train’, was a bestselling sensation, so it’s quite remarkable that this story has been developed for the big screen at such a lightning speed without compromising on quality. With a couple of differences which see’s the location move from London to New York and with the characters – apart from Emily Blunt – take on the American accent, however, location is proved to be of low importance as this unpredictable thriller will captivate until the rolling credits.
Blunt takes on the role of lead protagonist, Rachel – Although a role model she certainly is not, through no fault of her own – a women completely broken from the breakdown of her marriage to Tom (Justin Theroux), aided by the failure of the couple not being able to get pregnant and his inability to keep his male reproductive organs in his pants. Tom is now with Anna (Rebecca Ferguson), living in their old home, with a delectable baby all of their own. Rachel, consumed by a broken heart and jealousy finds solace in vodka, mainly hidden in a water bottle – yes, she is a complete drunk who is prone to blackouts. She spends her time riding the train from her suburban home into the city in an attempt to hide the fact she was fired from her job some time ago for her drinking from her housemate.
It’s on these journeys she loses herself into another world as she watches the landscape flicker by; backed up with Blunt giving a narration – she develops an unhealthy obsession with one couple she spots, the blonde haired and sexy Megan (Haley Bennett) and her husband, the equally sexy Scott (Luke Evans) playing out in her head the assumingly perfect life they lead until one day she spots Megan with another man which completely devastates Rachel as she goes on yet another bender and consequently see’s Megan go missing.
Events from the past and present from three different perspectives are all presented with the flashback /flash forward format and seem to flow with an effortless fluidity. The plot is cleverly written in such a way and with certain details missing to persuade the audience to carry out some of their detective work. In time it turns out the two couples are connected, living on the same street in fact – it does beg the question surely Rachel knew this couple from when she previously lived in the marital home? Blunt gives a powerfully emotive performance as a broken woman, she seems to have shaken off the shackles of some of her cutesy, flaky roles and really been able to sink her teeth into a role that is difficult and complex.
As Rachel grows closer to Scott, we are thrown left, right and center – just like trying to walk through a speeding train – to throw us off the scent which fends off the threat of that all-knowing twist until as close to the end as possible which also sees’s the three women finally come together. All aboard for an understated and gripping journey which for those who haven’t read the book will be entrancing experience.
The Girl on the Train is out in Cinemas October 5.
