It’s funny how the Whodunit? genre has evolved, no? In my childhood, we’d follow the trail of some eccentric European investigator so cerebral he or she could correctly peg the culprit seemingly before the crime had been committed. The lone good guy solving crimes platform moved entirely to television as I became an adult and movie mysteries became true guessing games – in films like The Sixth Sense, Memento and The Usual Suspects, it was difficult to tell what the mystery was until the film ended. And now our demand for Whodunit? complexity has evolved to the point where nobody has all the answers and we’re likelier to follow a suspect than an investigator. And with that, let’s do some Training, Girl.
Rachel (Emily Blunt) is an alcoholic. “Hi, Rachel.” The Girl on the Train presents her as a commuter obsessed with the scenery, slowly hinting at the fact that Rachel has a serious alcohol problem. Hint: If there’s straight vodka in your water bottle, you might be a redneck. Er, an alcoholic. The joy of Rachel’s commute is a house in her old ‘hood where a young thang, Megan (Haley Bennett), greets the train daily in various states of dress. Sometimes, she’s clothed. Sometimes, she’s draped only with her husband Scott (Luke Evans). Sometimes, she just runway models from her upstairs porch. Certainly not knocking it; I’d enjoy that view, too. Does Rachel enjoy it a little too much, perhaps? Is Rachel a stalker? What’s the criteria? Doesn’t stalking require a bit more than two five-second intervals a day?
Turns out Rachel is only two degrees from Megan, but neither woman is aware of the fact. This is the daytime soap portion of Act I: Rachel was married to Tom (Justin Theroux). Tom had an affair and eventually exchanged Rachel for Anna (Rebecca Ferguson) and Megan provides au pair services for Tom & Anna. And every woman in this story has some serious issues, which will require the understanding of Dr. Kamal (Edgar Ramírez). There, you’re caught up.
Wow. reading that back, you’d never believe this was a good film and better mystery.
Believe me, I haven’t given away much; just enough for you to get through this review. The Girl on the Train is sharply edited. It doesn’t just refer back in time when it needs to summon a necessary detail or relationship; it continually shows snippets in different timelines making the viewer guess motivation and players (who is that in the bathtub? Who is humping in the forest? Etc.) – it’s no coincidence at all, for instance, that Megan looks a great deal like Anna. After a series of recent theater films which had very little to say and a stockpile of ennui, I was relieved to view a taut piece of cinema. I dare you to be bored during the runtime.
Unfortunately, or fortunately as the case
may be, the rapt, edge-of-your-seat, feel to The Girl on the Train hides the fact that there’s no good rooting interest in the film other than the solution to the mystery. Rachel is our protagonist, for lack of a better term, and it becomes increasingly difficult to empathize with her when the film slowly reveals the worst parts of her personality. As The Girl on the Train, Emily bluntly convinced me not only was she a pathetic fall-down drunk, but also that she wasn’t attractive in the least. If that’s not acting, I don’t know what is.
Turns out there are several pretty people in this film; if you can stand them at their worst, go ahead and enjoy.
♪Rachel is a drunk
Yeah I know she’s got a flask on her hip
But lately something’s changed
And I can’t let it slip
There was a murder in the backwoods and she can’t remember zip
And she’s got some unfocused eyes
And she’s tripping over her body, I just know it!
And she wandering the neighborhood at all hours of night
You know I wish you’d stick to transport, girl
No need to detrain in a swirl
Why can’t you remain seated alone? ♫
Rated R, 112 Minutes
D: Tate Taylor
W: Erin Cressida Wilson
Genre: The red herring shuffle
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Mystery fans
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: New parents
♪ Parody inspired by “Jessie’s Girl”
