The Girl on the Train

Misery porn with didactic directing and a comically transparent screenplay, from which the killer emerges after about twenty minutes. So, all that remains is to enjoy the overacting of all of the participants, a cute-looking gloom and an exploitative ending, which could be provocative in the hands of a more capable director. It's a Gone Girl for stay-at-home moms and a wannabe psychological probe into relationship misery. As a thriller, no. As an unintentionally cheesy chick flick from the dark red library's provenance? Sure. (06/10/2016)

I like thrillers in a similar vein. That’s also the reason why I gave it one more star than the movie deserves. For most of the runtime, I was actually quite conflicted and I didn’t know what to think about any of the main characters that appeared in the movie. The movie had a strong source material by Paula Hawkins and so I rummaged through the past, the present, and subsequently also fiction and alternative facts. Eventually, the last half an hour, which had balls, started, and it explained a whole plethora of characters, which satisfied me quite a bit. Even though I predicted it a bit differently. Nevertheless, I must admit that there is something about this movie, and even though I spent 90 minutes as if under the haze of alcohol, it still managed to rise to a solid four-star review. (22/01/2017)

Yes, I know that Gone Girl was filmed better, but I liked The Girl on the Train a little more. The thing is, while watching this story, I didn't shake my head in disbelief as often, and I liked the way the film stayed grounded and didn't need to hurl one “surprising" twist after another at us. And although I know she's an excellent actress, I've never seen Emily Blunt act this great before. (01/03/2021)

A rare case where the adaptation perfectly copies the emotional and subjectively perceptual arc of the original, including its greatest strengths and weaknesses. It builds a perfectly constructed female triangle, pulling closer with every scene, a paranoid atmosphere where no explanation of the mystery is too far-fetched – and unfortunately, a conclusion that disappointed me as the absolute simplest and altogether black-and-white solution. Despite that, thanks to Emily Blunt, I was considering a higher rating for a long time, as she portrayed Rachel with credible emotions even in the subtlest nuances. Haley Bennett prevented me from doing so, sine despite her undeniable charms, she is too cold and cannot fully portray the idealized Megan due to her completely superfluous transparency. (24/10/2019)

I'm afraid that the whole phenomenon of The Girl on the Train is much more interesting than the thriller itself. However, the net product is a good female drama that shows that it is realized through a female lens. Well, why not? Actually, hip, hip, hooray. But all the PR hype, unfortunately, sells something else entirely, i.e., almost that it is a horror movie about an unstable mysterious woman who perhaps commits some crimes on a train in the moonlight or something. It would be worth analyzing if the product itself is not that good or if the promotion just doesn't believe it can sell the project without manipulation to a recipient who appreciates the topic/genre/whatever. I think it really misses the mark and that's a shame. (17/10/2016)