The Girl on the Train
Rachel Watson, devastated by her recent divorce, spends her daily commute fantasizing about the seemingly perfect couple who live in a house that her train passes every day, until one morning she sees something shocking happen there and becomes entangled in the mystery that unfolds.
What critics thought
Emily Blunt's performance was the one point of near-universal agreement — the film around her was not. Most critics found the adaptation sluggish and melodramatic, blaming a screenplay that trades in hollow twists and underdeveloped characters rather than genuine suspense; a lone dissenting voice argued Blunt's work alone elevates the material.
“The Girl on the Train has a talented cast, but ultimately squanders it for the sake of a hollow, ponderous plot. Alternately overly convoluted and predictable, the film relies too heavily on its twists while offering little in the way of character development, leaving its three central women as unrelatable and unlikable stereotypes.”
Terri Schwartz·IGN
“shiny trash that begins with promise but quickly gets tripped up by its own screenplay and grows increasingly ludicrous and melodramatic, to the point where I was barely able to suppress a chuckle at some of the final scenes”
Chicago Sun-Times
“a flat and suspense-free tale of pretty people in peril”
Christy Lemire·RogerEbert.com
Genres
Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Cast & Crew
DirectorTate Taylor
StarringEmily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Luke Evans, Justin Theroux
ComposerDanny Elfman
The Girl on the Train
Rachel Watson, devastated by her recent divorce, spends her daily commute fantasizing about the seemingly perfect couple who live in a house that her train passes every day, until one morning she sees something shocking happen there and becomes entangled in the mystery that unfolds.
What critics thought
Emily Blunt's performance was the one point of near-universal agreement — the film around her was not. Most critics found the adaptation sluggish and melodramatic, blaming a screenplay that trades in hollow twists and underdeveloped characters rather than genuine suspense; a lone dissenting voice argued Blunt's work alone elevates the material.
“The Girl on the Train has a talented cast, but ultimately squanders it for the sake of a hollow, ponderous plot. Alternately overly convoluted and predictable, the film relies too heavily on its twists while offering little in the way of character development, leaving its three central women as unrelatable and unlikable stereotypes.”
Terri Schwartz·IGN
“shiny trash that begins with promise but quickly gets tripped up by its own screenplay and grows increasingly ludicrous and melodramatic, to the point where I was barely able to suppress a chuckle at some of the final scenes”
Chicago Sun-Times
“a flat and suspense-free tale of pretty people in peril”
Christy Lemire·RogerEbert.com
Genres
Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Cast & Crew
DirectorTate Taylor
StarringEmily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Luke Evans, Justin Theroux
ComposerDanny Elfman