The best-selling book was on many shelves and was spreading the word as to how deeply drawn a reader can get attached to the characters or to the mystery itself. However, I did skim through most of the book and I found myself not as attached as I thought in comparison to last big hit, Gone Girl, which is a far better movie and book than this. However, I was highly anticipating this film because of that familiar vibe of Gone Girl and we can figure out who killed the woman who is in a relationship with someone as the girl commutes. The main problem is that the movie is lifeless that even though that there are moments of brooding suspense and a good performance, the story plods along with filmmaking structures that is fluff and does not build upon the conclusion.
Rachel (Emily Blunt) is an alcoholic who has violent outbursts that causes her ex-husband, Tom (Justin Theroux) to cheat on her and divorce her. Rachel explains that she has been on the train for years in the same seat, so she has a perfect view of the neighborhood. She says she is a new person now and tells us when a person passes by, she likes to imagine about the lives of all the people she passes. We see Rachel having various trips as the train passes by as she notice a blonde woman named Megan (Haley Bennett) with her husband kissing or flirting or having sex and it infuriates Rachel because she thinks that they have the perfect marriage.
We are introduced to Megan in a flashback a year ago in which she is seeing a therapist, Dr. Abdic (Edgar Ramirez). She has been in many formidable roles: a waitress, a wife, a nanny and a whore but "not necessarily in that order". Her husband convinced her to take a job as a nanny so she can have experience of seemingly being a mother taking care of a child, although she has no desire to become a mother. She helps Anna (Rebecca Ferguson) out taking care of her baby, Evie. They both have a testy relationship as Anna's husband was married to Megan.
Rachel is intoxicated and distressed as she gets off the train to talk some sense into Megan because she is cheating with another man. The man in a suit follows her because he is a usual commuter and notices that she normally does not stop here. Rachel runs and finds herself attacked with no memory of the night before as she awakened by her roommate, Cathy (Laura Prepon). When the police suspect her of killing the woman, Rachel becomes confused and is now in a heap of trouble.
Emily Blunt was solid for the first half of the film when her character has some issues with her life as she has no job and she is an alcoholic because her violent outbursts are what got the best of her. But, her character becomes phony and a bit aloof for the remainder of the movie. Everyone except for Alison Janney who plays the detective is one-note and kind of boring. Rebecca Ferguson, who gave a star-making performance in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, is one-note as the wife who is testy. Haley Bennett does not develop her character well. And, the male characters have nothing to do except for just either helping or threatening the female characters.
Tate Taylor, the director of The Help, missed the boat on this psychological murder mystery. There is some psychological distress in its tone but that's what the movie is: it is just the tone. The dark tone just creeps on the dull and melodramatic soap opera that is overlong and builds upon a conclusion that is twisted but a bit ludicrous. There were at times where I found myself about to laugh or either go to sleep like I have a glass of red wine and pass out. Even though there are solid performances and a concrete story here, the concrete story is lost in the filmmaking aspect of turning the script upside down into a baffling and incoherent film that does not tie loose ends cleanly. It was liking watching a child making a big mess in their room. It is definitely the most disappointing movie of the year.
*1/2
Comments
Post a Comment