THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN - A psychological thriller with all forms of twists and turns displaying the h
Small Spoiler Alert:
Over the last few weeks, I have read conflicting reviews for this movie, though they didn’t put me off wanting to go and see it for myself. It appeared that most of the naysayers were people who have already read the book, while those who hadn’t delved into Paula Hawkins’ novel mostly seemed to enjoy the cinematic experience.
Personally, I much prefer seeing the movie first and then follow it by reading the book. It seems that by using this means, I can enjoy the film without having a full understanding of the storyline and conclusion, especially if it is of the thriller genre where I undergo the full climatic intrigue. By reading the novel afterwards, I then get the entire experience, including those sections necessarily omitted from a movie due to the restrictions that come with thick tomes condensed into a mere 90 to 120 minutes duration, along with the thought processes of each individual character, which can often be left out of a film version. Being able to picture the characters and locations, even if may they differ to the author's description to an extent, often adds to the enjoyment of each scene.
This week I went along to the cinema and wasn’t at all surprised to find I enjoyed this psychological thriller set around a young divorcee with a shocking drinking problem that stems from a broken heart. Rachel is obsessed with her ex-husband, Tom, along with Anna and Evie, his new wife and baby, and a seemingly very much in love young couple – Scott and Megan – who live only two doors away from the home she once shared with Tom. Every day, twice a day, she spies on both couples from the third carriage of the train she catches to her supposed job in New York City – anxiously peering in on their activities and then dealing with the aftermath of witnessing their happiness through the comfort of a long drink bottle filled with Vodka.
One night, following Rachel discovering Megan in a compromising position earlier that very day, the attractive young female neighbour goes missing. Arriving at her home that same night, drunk and with bloodstains, cuts and bruises, and no memory of whether she was involved in the young woman’s disappearance, Rachel is terrified as well as fascinated to get to the bottom of what may have occurred. Consequently, she sets off using her own detective skills to find out what exactly happened and where she fits into this awful event. When the police become involved, she manages to wheedle her way into the lives of both couples by using detailed lies and subterfuge, along with a truckload of guts and determination while facing her own set of demons.
The ending is completely unexpected and a ghastly and vivid insight into what truly went on in the minds of several of these characters – and most especially one. Watching the storyline unfold took me back to my court reporting days when I sat transcribing proceedings from a desk on ‘the other side of crime’ while listening to the gruesome and cruel things supposedly sane people do to each other.
The Girl on the Train is well worth a look if you can handle seeing humanity in all of its horribleness and gruesome brutality when hatred and revenge are let loose. Emily Blunt played the role of the young heartbroken alcoholic brilliantly, while the other characters involved fed her terrors and sadness with excellent portrayals of life in the suburbia she still longs for.
