Rental Review - The Girl on the Train

The Girl on the Train (2016), R, 112 minutes - As many probably already know, The Girl on the Train is based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Paula Hawkins.  I have not had the opportunity to read the book yet, but my wife has so we decided to go ahead and rent the movie from Redbox last weekend.

The Girl on the Train is a psychological thriller that is presented from Rachel's (Emily Blunt) point of view, beginning with her daily commute into the city and her observations of those that she sees from the train along the way. What is originally presented as being a completely third party observation driven by imagination, is revealed to be a bit of obsessiveness on Rachel's part with her old neighborhood.  The two houses that draw her attention the most are her former home, now inhabited by her ex-husband Tom (Justin Theroux), his new wife Anna (Rebecca Ferguson), and their baby, and another couple a few houses down the street - Scott (Luke Evans) and Megan (Haley Bennett) - that Rachel believes lead the perfect lives.  After it is reported that Megan has gone missing, Rachel interjects herself into the investigation as a witness of sorts (keep in mind that she doesn't know Megan and has only observed her from the train).  We quickly learn that The Girl on the Train is a perfect example of 'not everything is as it seems'.  Rachel's involvement in the case leads Detective Riley (Allison Janney) to investigate Megan's therapist Dr. Kamal Abdic (Edgar Ramirez), then Scott, and then even Rachel herself.  As Rachel gets more and more involved, making a mess of the lives of all involved, the truth behind Megan's disappearance comes to light.

The Girl on the Train is a good thriller that shifts its focus often enough to keep you on your toes, but not so much as to become convoluted or confusing.  My wife said that the film relies a bit more on sex in the portrayal of a couple characters than the novel did, but all in all we both enjoyed this film.  I'm looking forward to reading my wife's copy of the book as I'm now curious to see how it plays out compared to the film.

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