The Girl on the Train (2016)

A divorcee becomes entangled in a missing persons investigation that promises to send shockwaves throughout her life.

Director:

Tate Taylor

Writers:

Erin Cressida Wilson (screenplay by), Paula Hawkins (based on the novel by)

Stars:

Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 4 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Emily Blunt	...	Rachel
Haley Bennett	...	Megan
Rebecca Ferguson	...	Anna
Justin Theroux	...	Tom
Luke Evans	...	Scott
Edgar Ramírez	...	Dr. Kamal Abdic (as Édgar Ramírez)
Laura Prepon	...	Cathy
Allison Janney	...	Detective Riley
Darren Goldstein	...	Man in the Suit
Lisa Kudrow	...	Martha
Cleta Elaine Ellington	...	Oyster Bar Woman (as Cleta E. Ellington)
Lana Young	...	Doctor
Rachel Christopher	...	Woman with Child
Fernando Medina	...	Pool Player
Gregory Morley	...	Officer Pete

Storyline

The Girl on the Train is the story of Rachel Watson's life post-divorce. Every day, she takes the train in to work in New York, and every day the train passes by her old house. The house she lived in with her husband, who still lives there, with his new wife and child. As she attempts to not focus on her pain, she starts watching a couple who live a few houses down -- Megan and Scott Hipwell. She creates a wonderful dream life for them in her head, about how they are a perfect happy family. And then one day, as the train passes, she sees something shocking, filling her with rage. The next day, she wakes up with a horrible hangover, various wounds and bruises, and no memory of the night before. She has only a feeling: something bad happened. Then come the TV reports: Megan Hipwell is missing. Rachel becomes invested in the case and trying to find out what happened to Megan, where she is, and what exactly she herself was up to that same night Megan went missing.

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Plot Keywords:

infidelity | train | alcoholics anonymous | alcoholic | voyeurism | 

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Taglines:

Who do you trust when you can't trust yourself?

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, sexual content, language and nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Emily Blunt was at the beginning stage of pregnancy at the start of filming. She kept this from the cast and crew except for her friend, co-star Justin Theroux. Director Tate Taylor only found our towards the end of filming when, filming a scene of Rachel showering, he noticed her bump and confronted her, asking if she'd withheld information that he should have known. Blunt eventually had to tell him, and he agreed to keep it secret. By the time filming ended in February 2016, she was in her fifth month of pregnancy.

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Goofs

When Rachel goes to Scott's house and he gives her coffee, her coffee cup changes position on the table although she hasn't touched it yet.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Rachel: [narrating] My husband used to tell me I have an overactive imagination. I can't help it. I mean, haven't you ever been on a train and wondered about the lives of the people who live near the tracks? The lives you've never lived. These are things I want to know. Twice a day, I sit in the third car from the front where I have the perfect view into my favorite house: Number 15, Beckette Road.
[Rachel sees a woman on her back porch in the morning]
Rachel: I don't know when exactly, I suppose I ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Onward to the Age of Resistance (2019)

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Soundtracks

Fuse
Written by Andrew Buckland
Performed by Claire Buckland and Andrew Buckland

User Reviews

Gone Girl without the tension, emotion or drama

First off, I will admit that I've not read the bestselling book that The Girl on the Train is based on so my thoughts are based purely on the movie adaptation.

I usually love a fast paced thriller with twists and turns to keep me metaphorically on the edge of cinema seat. The trailers had led me to believe this might be the case for The Girl on the Train. How wrong I was.

The screenplay and direction were often sloppy while the editing was so messy it often felt like scenes were pieced together purely at random. I really struggled to warm to or identify with any of the characters in a film where all men are portrayed as controlling and deplorable and any sense of female empowerment is lost amidst the absurdity of the relentlessly twisting plot.

I have to call out Emily Blunt's stunning lead performance - she steals every scene she's in with a nuanced, conflicted and honest portrayal of a complex and intriguing character. Quality support performances from Luke Evans and Haley Bennet help but don't save the movie and most other characters are so slight and one-dimensional that they fade into the background.

The Girl on the Train felt like Gone Girl without the tension, emotion or drama.

5/10

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Page Official site

Country:

USA India

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

7 October 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Girl on the Train

Filming Locations:

Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$24,536,265, 9 October 2016

Gross USA:

$75,395,035

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$173,185,859

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amblin Partners, DreamWorks, Marc Platt Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1