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:

Based on the novel that shocked the world

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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

At about 16 minutes into the audio commentary, the director mentions the village of Croton (on Hudson), home to the historical Croton Dam. Locals will tell you that below the dam on the banks of the Croton River, Hollywood filmed the classic Tarzan movies starring Johnny Weissmuller with suburban Westchester County standing in for the African veldt.

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Goofs

In the room shot where the camera is positioned up by the ceiling fan, the fan turns in one direction, and when the scene returns to that shot, the fan turns in the opposite direction.

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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 Jeopardy!: Episode #37.9 (2020)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Thriller that serves up a real mystery

We've all experienced the same monotonous train commute to work in our lives at some point. You go by the same places and see the same faces each and every day. None of us have quite had a commute that changes our lives quite like Rachel Watson in The Girl on the Train though.

Emily Blunt stars as Rachel Watson, an alcoholic divorcée who takes the same train to work each day. On her journey, Rachel fantasises about the relationship of Scott (Luke Evans) and Megan Hipwell (Haley Bennett), who live a few doors down from her ex-husband, Tom (Justin Theroux), and his new wife, Anna (Rebecca Ferguson).

Rachel's unstable state leads her on a downward spiral that sees her embroiled in a missing persons investigation that will change her life forever.

Based on the best-selling novel by Paula Hawkins, The Girl on the Train is a mystery thriller that reminded me of David Fincher's Gone Girl, which is not a bad thing at all. Now, while I don't think this is a better film than Gone Girl, I do think it serves up a worthy mystery that kept me guessing right up until the twist/reveal later on in the story.

The narrative is told from the point of view of the three main female characters; Rachel, Anna and Megan. It could have easily become quite convoluted and messy yet Erin Cressida Wilson's screenplay allows things to move along smoothly and without any confusion.

A lot of my hopes for this film were depending on the twist/reveal that would undoubtedly arrive in a mystery like this. Thankfully I can say that it was very well done and actually offered something totally different to what I was expecting. Yes, it gets a little far-fetched in the final act but if you go with it, The Girl on the Train really is a suspenseful watch.

Coming to the performances, The Girl on the Train features a great lead performance from Emily Blunt and a solid supporting cast, Haley Bennett and Rebecca Ferguson jumping on the paranoia train with Emily Blunt to great effect.

So, if you're a fan of either mysteries or thrillers, The Girl on the Train will be a journey you want to go on. If not, best to wait at the platform for the next train.

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 Pictures, Marc Platt Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1