Ten years later, I feel I got my wish.
The Girl On The Train follows seemingly unconnected storylines as each character narrates their unhappiness and their deepest desires throughout multiple points of time in their lives.
The title character Rachel, played by Emily Blunt, tells us of her commute to and from the city, and how she daydreams over snippets of others' lives she sees from the train. She weaves her wants and dreams into these people she sees from her seat, focusing in on one couple whose house she passes every day on the train. She imagines what kind of life the couple lives, how much they must love each other, how their love plays out. She imagines and she drinks, wishing it was her own life.
The woman seen from the train, Megan, played by Haley Bennett, reveals to the viewer her apathy in her life, which seems to be leading her down a path of self-destruction. She speaks of abandoning the life she's built, and we watch in frustration as she seems incapable of being content.
Through these two women's stories, we also meet Anna, played by Rebecca Ferguson, and Tom, played by Justin Theroux, whose at first seemingly happy marriage is instead built on deceit and restlessness. And finally, we meet Scott, played by Luke Evans, a brooding, almost too devoted husband to Megan, whose passion and desire in his marriage emanate warning and a hesitation to completely trust him as a viewer more than anything else.
While extremely dark in nature, the film does provide for an exceptional soundtrack by Danny Elfman, giving the viewer a perfect blend of hauntingly beautiful and wonderfully suspenseful. The film is also extremely well shot, as Taylor does a remarkable job of allowing us to feel the things the characters are feeling through use of camera angles and shots. And finally, the choice to set the film in New York allowed for beautiful scenery as Rachel rides the train.
Rated R for "violence, sexual content, language and nudity," it seems as if director Tate Taylor soaked this rating for all it's worth. There is definitely no lack of sensuality when it comes to Megan's character, as we see much more of Haley Bennett's (granted) gorgeous figure than necessary; while it is fleeting, there is one scene where absolutely nothing of Bennett's body is left to the imagination. In the interest of giving away any spoilers, the murder of one character is exceptionally disturbing and brutal, more so than necessary.
One thing that is surprising about the film's rating is its lack of mentioning alcoholism, a notable theme throughout the entire film.
While some viewers might walk away from the movie remembering the steamy scenes or twist ending, this viewer walked away satisfied with the display of redemption and second chances the film conveyed. It can be easy to make light of drinking as a coping mechanism, but The Girl On The Trail did not hesitate to show us how detrimental an alcohol addiction can be, and how difficult it can be to break these kinds of habits - but how worthwhile it is to fight and break free.
Emily Blunt was not afraid to get down and dirty in her role as Rachel, playing an alcoholic divorcee with such conviction and dedication I was left wanting to both give Blunt every and all awards possible for her role, and also ask her if she is okay and to maybe take a holiday some place relaxing after playing a character such as Rachel. Blunt's performance most definitely blew away her co-stars, although for certain co-stars such as Justin Theroux, that seemed fairly easy to do. In complete contrast to Blunt's amazing performance, the majority of Theroux's performance was flat and unbelievable, which is disappointing, especially because his character had the potential to be rich and complex.
While I would recommend The Girl On The Train, I would perhaps recommend waiting and renting it so that some of the more steamy or brutal moments can be fast-forwarded.
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