Review of The Girl on the Train (2016) by Megan B — 24 Oct 2016

Sometimes, American moviegoers and critics cannot handle too much darkness. I think also that perhaps critics were a little hypercritical of this film because they are used to getting what they want immediately in films.

Or, maybe they just assumed that all trains travel at lightening speed. For me, if you liked "Gone Girl," I think that you would like this as well. The cinematography is stunning. There is not obligatory music at every turn.

Sometimes the theatre was dead quiet, which made the film all the more scary to me. When the music does arrive, it is so evocative of the characters' emotions that it made me want to buy the soundtrack or research the composer.

This is a pretty world, full of pretty people, with real ugly issues. These issues, not to get political here, are highly relevant. Issues included brainwashing, control, emotional abuse, physical abuse, alcoholism, depression, and more.

This is not to say that there is not the occasional light moment, but they are few and far between. This roller coaster takes you slowly, deliberately, up a hill for a long time, yes. It may take a while to get there than some audiences would like, but I believe that the last 20 minutes make that initial wait completely worth the ride.

Lastly, Emily Blunt was absolutely perfect in this performance and I do not use that word often. If you love her, I bet you will love this.