First of all, I have not read The Girl on the Train. I know it was an incredibly popular book, but I couldn’t begin to tell you how it compares to the movie version. I’d be more inclined to compare it to the film adaptation of Gone Girl, for which I didn’t read the source material, either. In that respect, it’s very similar. It’s not quite as dark, although offers comparable twists and turns.
The biggest surprise for me in The Girl on the Train is the complexity of Rachel, the titular character, played by Emily Blunt. I didn’t know ahead of time that the movie would far exceed the simple premise of her creating a fantasy life for the woman she sees everyday riding to and from New York City on the train. There are questions answered that I wouldn’t have even thought to ask.
For example, why is she riding the train everyday? I’d assume it would be to go to work. But is that really the reason? Why is it this particular woman she watches? Megan (Haley Bennett) is certainly beautiful and seems to have an ideal life. Is there more to her than that? Why does the idea that Megan might be cheating on her husband, Scott (Luke Evans) affect Rachel so deeply?
Answers to these questions (again, ones I wasn’t necessarily asking) are revealed slowly, causing the movie to become more substantial as it proceeds. This could mean that the beginning is a little slow or confusing, particularly with its knack for time-jumping back and forth. There’s a pattern, though, and you soon learn that the flashbacks beginning a year earlier are from Megan’s point of view.
Then we’re introduced to a third woman, Anna (Rebecca Ferguson). On the surface, she seems necessary because Megan takes employment as nanny for her baby. Everything in The Girl on the Train goes beneath the surface, though, and ultimately, all ties together in surprising ways. I was kept guessing throughout the movie, until the final moment I registered a self-satisfactory, “A-ha!”
When Megan disappears, I followed a red herring for a good deal of the movie, convinced that he/she was responsible for committing some hideous crime. There are other red herrings that are more obvious; in fact, they’re so obvious I refused to consider them. I wonder if other audience members figured out the mystery before I did or if those familiar with the book approved of the way it was revealed.
I wouldn’t expect a movie like this to boast an Oscar-worthy performance, but Emily Blunt provides it. There are depths to her character that, like the mysteries of the story itself, are revealed sparingly. They explain her motivations and actions. More importantly, they create multiple layers to Rachel. With the uncovering of each one, we become more deeply sympathetic to her fate.
The Girl on the Train benefits from a snowball effect, not in action or pace like some movies, but in character and story. By the end, we are completely invested in the outcome and are rewarded with a worthy conclusion. It’s an intelligent movie for adults, but it’s also very, very entertaining. I enjoyed it a great deal and can’t really think of anything that I would have done differently.
