- Actors: Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Justin Theroux
- Director: Tate Taylor
- Disc Format: 4K
- Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Portuguese (DTS 5.1), French (DTS 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)
- Subtitles: Portuguese, French, Spanish, English
- Region: All Regions
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Rated: R
- Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
- Release Date: January 17, 2017
- Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2018
- Run Time: 112 minutes
Considering the
Paula Hawkins’ book that inspired this film was such a success, debuting at the
top of the New York Times best sellers list and remaining there for fifteen
weeks, I must assume that a great deal was lost in translation with this film
adaptation. Much of the film feels entirely too derivative to inspire any real
suspense, borrowing liberally from Gone
Girl narratively while copying a number of cinematic elements from Alfred
Hitchcock’s classic films. And even with a series of red herrings and a
convoluted timeline, jumping back and forth while switching character
perspective more than necessary, the final answer to the mystery is fairly
obvious. Worse yet, the characters are never sympathetic enough for the
audience to truly care about the resolution, regardless of how clever the film
tries to be.
The Girl
on the Train focuses on a trio of flawed women as its protagonists, matched
by three men who are either unredeemable or simply two-dimensional. Rachel
(Emily Blunt) is the first character given the responsibility of being a
narrator, as a recently divorced alcoholic whose daily commute on the train has
her passing by a seemingly idyllic home inhabited by a picturesque couple,
Megan (Haley Bennett) and Scott (Luke Evans). In reality, Megan is an extremely
unhappy young woman, trapped by her suburban existence while hiding secrets
from her own past, only revealing them to her conveniently handsome
psychiatrist (Édgar RamÃrez). When Rachel’s obsession with the couple she does
not know results in her witnessing Megan in a moment of apparent infidelity, it
initiates an impromptu gin-soaked investigation. The only problem is that her
heavy drinking ends up preventing her from remembering what she has discovered.
Bloodied from
some unknown confrontation, Rachel wakes to discover that Megan has gone
missing, unaware of her own connection in the case. This is further complicated
by the fact that Megan also coincidentally worked as a nanny for Rachel’s
ex-husband (Justin Theroux) and his new wife, Anna (Rebecca Ferguson). Anna is
the third point-of-view in the film, convinced that Rachel is the true villain
behind the mystery. At a certain point it is clear there are too many
perspectives in this narrative, which is not engaging enough to warrant the
splintering. There may be many pieces to this puzzle, but the final image is
not worth the effort it took to assemble.
The Girl on the Train is not only being
released on DVD and Blu-ray, there is also a 4K Ultra HD release, which comes
with Blu-ray and Digital HD copies included. Some films demand higher
definition than others, but I would put The
Girl on the Train low down on this list. While it is well shot, there just
isn’t enough dynamic material to warrant the extra resolution. Even when the
suspense turns to action, it is fairly unexciting, especially when compared to
nearly identical sequences in David Fincher’s narratively similar Gone Girl.
The special
features are included on the Blu-ray disc, leaving only the 4K HDR presentation
of the film on the upgraded disc. The extras include over 17-minutes of
deleted/extended scenes, two featurettes, and a commentary track from director
Tate Taylor (The Help). The two
featurettes may as well just be one, presumably split up to pad the special
features. “The Women Behind The Girl”
features interviews with Hawkins about the narrative, casting, and making
comparisons about the male and female characters, while the longer featurette,
“On Board The Train,” is just a continuation
of that discussion about the characters and the film’s locations.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 6/10
Special Features: 6.5/10
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