Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The Girl on the Train Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 8, 2017

Reading the book on which a movie is based before (or after) watching said movie almost invariably leads to disappointment with the movie in some form or fashion. Very few manage to tell the story as it was laid out in the source novel, never mind enjoy the character intricacies, narrative depth, and creativity the written word usually affords the material in question. The Girl on the Train is no exception. Author Paula Hawkins' worldwide bestseller might not have been the peak of fiction -- an intriguing premise, a solidly constructed lead character, slow-drip reveals, and a few twists all lead up to a fairly hackneyed ending -- but it made for a solid read, one of those "up all night" sorts that yields sleepy eyes and a Nook in need of a charge the next morning. The story's structure didn't appear to make for an easy transition to film. Much of the book, and early on in particular, is devoid of dialogue; it's exposition and exploration by way of the lead character's thoughts and personal deterioration, exploring her sob story contrasted against a sordid murder-mystery in which she finds herself caught in the middle, mostly by her own doing but understandably given her real and imagined intimacy to a few of the primary characters involved. The movie, directed by Tate Taylor (The Help), doesn't capture the novel's energy and intrigue to the same level. It's a fine translation in the cruder senses and sticks fairly close to the book in terms of basic maneuvers and how the plot unfolds, but coming in at about 110 minutes it just can't find that same inner depth and detail that blossoms on the page.

The girl on the train.

Rachel (Emily Blunt) is a divorcee whose life has crumbled since her split with ex-husband Tom (Justin Theroux). She struggled with alcohol before the divorce and has become a full-fledged alcoholic since. She stalks Tom and resents his new wife, Anna (Rebecca Ferguson), with whom Tom was having an affair while still married to Rachel. Rachel travels by train each morning into the city. It stops right be her old house and, a few doors down, she's taken notice of, and taken to, a young couple that seems to have it all. Rachel builds a fantasy life for them, living vicariously through their apparent happiness. One day, she catches this mystery woman kissing a man other than the one Rachel has always seen her with. And then she goes missing. Turns out the woman is Megan Hipwell (Haley Bennett), and her husband Scott (Luke Evans) is a suspect in her disappearance. Rachel inserts herself into the mystery but also comes under police scrutiny when she's reported in the area of her old home, which is only doors down from Scott and Megan's place. As she tries to piece together the mystery through an alcoholic daze -- both what's happened to Megan and how she, and those with whom she is closest, fits into that mystery -- her own past, and those of everyone involved, come to the forefront and reveal a sordid story that could prove dangerous for all involved.

The movie is technically well made and, for a story so based on careful exposition rather than crude dialogue, it's not bad. And perhaps it would work better for those who have not read the book beforehand. The movie just feels suffocated, forcing a lot of plot points that in the book developed much more organically and understandably as the three characters' perspectives gracefully and carefully shed light on the greater world and mystery and built themselves -- and through their prisms one another -- with incredible coherence and attention to detail. So much of the book is about perception -- how Rachel perceives others, how they perceive her -- and that's captured on film at a basic level, but not to the sort of story-shaping clarity the book provides. The movie does its best. It's a competent Thriller that handles the sordid crisscross relationships, dark secrets, and other surprises with enough dramatic muscle -- even if it's almost all the story and not anything the movie does with it -- to get from one sequence to the next with as much logical connection as possible.

The film handles its main character well enough. Even if Emily Blunt doesn't exactly fit the character mold to a "T," she plays the perpetually drunken Rachel with a believable fatigue and stupor that reinforces her as an "unreliable witness" as she's called in the book, a person whose physical deterioration is only matched, if not bested, by her mental and emotional crumbles. She does a fine job of bringing the character's morass to life, exploring, though not necessarily sorting out (as the story demands) her personal connections to the other characters, her fantasies, and her fears. Her challenge is herself, and Tate frames her struggles with a confident lack of focus in the frame, sometimes offering only a splotchy, shaky coverage of her breakdowns, deteriorations, and generally poor state that contrasts with what is her surprising focus on the task at hand, even if she sometimes struggles to straighten herself out long enough to dedicate the sort of internal resources it requires, never mind find an ally who will take her seriously. It's in her more intimate maneuverings where the film falters well behind the book, never able to find her center with the sort of conviction and depth Hawkins paints with.

Taking it by itself, though, the movie doesn't stand apart as anything remotely special. It's well made, nicely performed, and as mentioned above Tate does his best to use framing and/or juxtaposition to shape the story, and he leaves it more to his actors than his craftsmanship to sell any of the finer-point intricacies that the movie manages to capture. Casting is decent. If one is looking for actors who most closely match their novel counterparts, Haley Bennett and Rebecca Ferguson seem most closely paired both physically and, more importantly, in how they capture the essence of their characters. Detective Gaskill's and Scott Hipwell's roles are reduced in the film, Justin Theroux plays Tom with as much intrigue as he can muster, and the only actor who feels seriously miscast is Édgar Ramirez as Dr. Kamal Abdic, though given the character's lesser role in the film, it's not a major factor. Even with its clunky approach that leaves behind the book's slower and more rewarding progression (and its move to New York from London), it satisfies as a nuts-and-bolts whodunit with plenty of steamy sex, sordid truths, and mixed-up characters filling in the blanks.

The Girl on the Train Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Girl on the Train is a rare breed these days, a recent release shot on film. And the results are splendid. While the image appears mildly desaturated and tweaked by intent -- a bit cold and empty in places, a little tinted golden in others -- there's no mistaking its accuracy and balance within its depicted parameters. Natural greens please, red lipsticks and bloodshot eyes appear accurate, and various support shades on clothing, furnishings, and the like stand tall and stout. Details are exquisite. There are no shortages of close-ups to enjoy in the film, and Universal's transfer presents skin textures with impeccable clarity, capturing a very slight inherent softness and gentleness while still revealing every fine pore, line, bump, bit of hair and stubble on the guys, and imperfection. Image clarity excels, and while the entire film does share that slight hint of gentle softness, it holds firm and sharp within its context, showcasing interior appointments, trees and leaves, and other natural elements with remarkable clarity. Clothing is as enjoyably rich and complex as skin textures. Black levels are beautifully deep and skin tones appear effortlessly true to the film's visual cues. The print is meticulously clean and no encode artifacts are apparent. This is a home run presentation from Universal.

The Girl on the Train Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Girl on the Train features a DTS:X soundtrack, though its overhead engagement, even as mere support pieces, is minimal at best. Indeed, the track never really differentiates itself from a more basically structured 7.1 mix, favoring the basic 7.1 layout but delivering a couple of very minor, at best, additional bits of overhead bonus into the stage. General qualities are terrific. Music is fully engaged around the stage, emoting with plenty of clarity, width across the front, and wrap into the rears. The film opens with lightly identifiable train sounds that grow in proximity, volume, placement in the stage, and clarity, until a sudden rush of the familiar rattling sound enters the stage, complete with a positive low end support and fine sense of movement. Atmospherics are nicely engaged throughout as the opportunities arise; a busy restaurant in chapter four, a light fall breeze in chapter nine, and woodland ambience in chapter 18 are all pleasantly rich and realistic in stage saturation and placing the listener in the middle of the locations. Dialogue is the main factor in the movie, however, and it's unsurprisingly clear and precise, playing from the front-center and always properly prioritized over surrounding elements.

The Girl on the Train Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Girl on the Train contains a commentary track, deleted and extended scenes, and a pair of featurettes. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase.

• Deleted and Extended Scenes (1080p, 17:38 total runtime): Rachel Rides the Train, Rachel Arrives at Grand Central, Megan Screams as Train Passes, Megan's Flashback, Megan Leaves Anna's House, Rachel Pees in the Street, Rachel Almost Gets Hit By a Taxi, Rachel Takes Selfies, Rachel Drinks in the Bathroom, Anna Looks Out Her Window, Rachel Sees Man in Suit, Tom and Anna Discuss Moving, Tom's Request, and Tom Begs Anna for Forgiveness.
• The Women Behind The Girl (1080p, 5:04): Author Paula Hawkins discusses the main characters, and the piece continues with a discussion of the challenges of translating the novel to the screen, casting, the contrasts between the male and female characters, Tate Taylor's direction, and the takeaway themes and story details.
• On Board The Train (1080p, 11:25): A piece that largely expands on the last, continuing discussions on the characters and performances, plot points, photographic composition, and more.
• Audio Commentary: Director Tate Taylor guides listeners through the film, offering his insight into the greater process that includes filming locations and details, character specifics, cast and performances, digital enhancements, and plenty more. It's a bit piecemeal, leaving some gaps here and there when the track reverts back to the film's soundtrack, but it's a fair discussion of all of the basics.

The Girl on the Train Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Girl on the Train takes a fairly intriguing and well-structured book and turns it into a fairly bland Thriller that gets its broad strokes right but can't find a way to translate the much more intimate character details and careful story unfolding the written word affords the source. Both book and film stumble through a dull and trite climax that betrays all the good stuff to come before, more in the book and less the movie. Performances are fine, though even as lead Emily Blunt captures Rachel's essence, she doesn't seem to have the right look or the perfect grasp of the characters' deepest sunken depths. Universal's Blu-ray is very good. Picture quality is practically pristine, audio is great (even if it doesn't make much use of the overhead channels), and it features a basic array of bonus content. Those who have not read the book might find the movie slightly more appealing, but there's no mistaking it as a basic Thriller without much to offer beyond crude plot and character maneuverings. Worth a look, and for those scoring at home: movie 2.5/5.0, book 3.5/5.0 and a bit higher for everything before the final few pages.