A number of critics have been negative
about the movie The Girl On The Train. I am not at all sure why. It may be an advantage that I have not read
the book, so I did not miss anything
from it nor disapprove of the relocation from London to New York State. And of course it is more difficult to
develop three main female characters in a film than in a book, especially when they share the narration.
I do admit that at first I had a little difficulty
distinguishing between the two young blondes, played by Haley Bennett and Rebecca Ferguson (who made it
more difficult by abandoned her naturally russet Ferguson-clan hair colouring to match Bennett's blondiness). There
are also frequent time shifts, going
back months, weeks or days, but they were not difficult to follow. Mark Kermode pointed out that the
cinematographer, Charlotte Brus Christensen, used different filming techniques
to help us locate when we are in any particular sequence, and even though I did
not consciously notice that, it may well have helped. I did notice the clever use of handheld camera
sequences to give us the unsteady pov of the only remaining narrator in the movie, Rachel, an alcoholic.
She is played by Emily
Blunt, retaining her English accent to add to her character’s alienation. For me knowing she was the lead player was a major
reason to see the film. I have admired her
considerable breadth in The Adjustment
Bureau, Looper, Live Die Repeat and Sicario. She also showed her comedy chops in the (entirely unnecessary) English version of the brilliant French Wild Target, (Cible emouvante). This is
her most unglamorous and - she says -
difficult role to date. I was not disappointed. Justin Theroux (of the clan Theroux) is fine as one of the men, the other being the Welshman Luke
Evans. Allison Janney’s character as
a cop is underdeveloped, but hey, when did we last have a movie with three
women in the leads? OK, The Help.
As it happens the Director, Tate Taylor, adapted and directed The Help. I have not seen that, but here he does a
good job. Erin Cressida Wilson worked
with the novel’s author Pauline Hawkins on the screenplay, which works fine for me. Danny
Elfman wrote the score, which contributed to the tension without being
intrusive. But the star of the show is Emily Blunt. It
was worth seeing just for her. It may not be Gone Girl, but it
is worth seeing anyway.
