THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN – Rated R

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN – Rated R – 112 Minutes

Starring Emily Blunt, Justin Theroux, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson, Edgar Ramirez and Allison Janney

Based on the novel by the same name by British Novelist Paula Hawkins, we meet divorce’ Rachel (Emily Blunt) still trying to come to terms with her divorce, and the beautiful, yet tumultuous life she had to leave behind.

Traveling daily to and from the city on a train that travels past the home she once shared with her ex-husband Tom (Justin Theroux), Rachel begins fanticizing about a couple she views everyday who live just a few doors down ~ the incredibly beautiful Megan (Haley Bennett) and her hubby Scott (Luke Evans), as she dreams of living out their perfect life, from afar.

When Rachel seems to see Megan stepping out on her hubby one day as she passes by, feelings start flowing back for Rachel regarding the demise of her own marriage, due to her ex-husband’s infidelity, as she becomes enraged.

Now, lost in the same self-destructive pattern that she has been stumbling around in for years, Rachel finds herself injured, and without an explanation of what really happened, as her memory of this night is truly vague. And mysteriously now too, the lovely Megan has disappeared without a trace…coincidence you say? Or has Rachel’s continuous stalking and alcoholism finally brought her to a place she never wanted to go???

I give THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN a rating of MUST SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN: Talk about intense and full of dramatic plot twists and turns that you don’t see coming, THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN will keep you literallly on the edge of your seat the entire time! Blunt is on the TOP OF HER GAME ~ showing us a dramatic side that we haven’t truly been privy to before, playing the self-destructive and incoherent Rachel. Bennett is also fabulous as the Nanny and stalkee of Rachel’s fantasies, and 2^nd wife Anna, played by Rebecca Ferguson, is also enjoyable to view, as she is hell-bent on ruining Rachel’s life completely, before she’s through.  And what’s a good thriller without including a hubby that you aren’t quite sure about either ~enter Theroux~ who has also brought along his A-game to this dramatic who-done-it, making this film a definite contender come awards season as well. I’m so hoping that Blunt gets the nod that she most rightfully deserves from her performance in this film come awards season, as from the first frame of this film, you don’t want to miss a minute of her performance throughout…she is just that good!!

Kathy Kaiser