Girl on the Train

Wow, this film is in love with itself. Another reviewer described it as having flatulent dialogue, and quite frankly, I can't think of a better way to describe the film as a whole.

The first hour is literally just 3 or so people pontificating about love and the ideal dream versus reality and slow evolving the plot (if you can call it a plot). Then there's a brief flash of action, and even more pontificating about the inevitable and painfully obvious conclusion. I'm sure its supposed to be intellectual and insightful but ultimately its just a dressed up airport romance novel. The acting is OK; the direction passable; the premise is as tired and unoriginal as it is interesting; the script is big lumbering mammoth that bores you to the point of wanting to rip off your own arm and beat yourself to death with it; and it certainly does't deserve its sense of superiority.

I cannot see anything redeemable about this pretentious pile of crap. Don't bother wasting the hour and 20 minutes; You can get the same amount of blistering insight in to love and perception in a far, far, shorter time - via one episode of the Vampire Diaries... And at least that will give yo a laugh! This is so bad its not even funny.

Henry Ian Cusick plays Danny who is an Englishman making documentaries in the US. One day he sees a girl on a train who has been crying. He is strangely drawn to her and decides to act on his impulses. She is enigmatic and mysterious and he finds himself wanting to see her again.

Then they do meet and she uses her feminine ways to get him to act out of character and take him down a path that once he has set foot on it, there is no turning back.

Now this is a well written, filmed and acted film. There is a lot of clever observations on life and some real chemistry between the main players. The film works by using flash backs to flesh out what has already transpired and it is done rather well. The problem is that it is all a bit too contrived and unbelievable and the dénouement is just a bit too much to be taken seriously so it loses marks big time.

Long time user of IMDb, but this is my very first review because I felt compelled to write as I read the unbelievably high scores given to this film by people that must have been on the crew or are relatives of the actors or producers. What an atrocious film filled with bad acting, terrible dialogue and poor pace! I was expecting a good film, then I saw the scores drop for this film in real time over a matter of days on Netflix. I should have sent the film back without watching it as the Netflix algorithms know a stinker from a good or even great film. I watched the whole thing because once I start I can't stop. It was almost a physically painful ordeal that I had to endure just to get through the 1 hr and 20 minutes. I will be on my deathbed and probably think about this film and wonder what constructive thing I could have done with that time instead, perhaps watch paint dry or look into a dark closet. Yikes! Please don't waste your time like I did.

This story does pull you in initially, but by the end turns into mush, with its pseudo-philosophical outlook, which another reviewer astutely summarized, as " a combination of arty arrogance and teenage angst". The story of a Nazi concentration camp victim, which the protagonist was making a documentary about, was the most interesting part of the film. The film presents love, as the biological relationship between members of the opposite sex. I believed this in my adolescence ( "teenage angst" ), but have mostly managed to get beyond this, thank God. The monologue near the end is delivered in such a solemn, pontificating manner, it initially sounds profound, until you think about it for a couple of minutes. You then realize, it is totally concerned with an adolescent's viewpoint of love/lust. The movie would have been much better, if this speech, was omitted. I did find it represented women as conniving and irresponsible, through the female lead. It gave the pathetic, popular excuse, that if the woman is sexually attractive enough, this is OK.

The acting was quite good, as well as, the cinematography.

A very interesting movie that starts with a simple plot line then slowly becomes a rather complex story that I found difficult to follow at times. Maybe it is the constant editing between Danny with Lexi then Danny with Detective Martin then Danny with Morris (the survivor of a Nazi internment camp).

I understood Danny's obsession with Lexi but became lost with their relationship and the murder plot. This is actually a well performed story but difficult to get involved with as you just don't care about the characters and the plot skips around between too many people talking and Danny telling the whole story to the detective.

I would recommend this film to anyone seeking a mystery movie but you better pay close attention or have the movie long enough to watch it twice.