Rachel (Emily Blunt) rides the train into the city every day. She stares out the window, looking into the lives of the people who live alongside the tracks. Lamenting the path her life has taken, Rachel becomes obsessed with watching Megan (Haley Bennett), a woman who is happy and completely in love with her husband, Scott (Luke Evans).

Rachel’s marriage to Tom (Justin Theroux) had ended some time ago when she found out he was having an affair with Anna (Rebecca Ferguson), their real estate agent. It destroyed her so thoroughly that she has become an alcoholic, often drinking to the point of blacking out. Rachel stalks Tom, calling and texting him constantly.

One day on her ride in, Rachel sees Megan on her balcony with another man. She decides to get off the train to confront Megan. As she nears Megan, she blacks out. When she comes to, she is back in her appointment, covered in blood. Megan is dead. The question is, who killed Megan and why?

Marketed as a thriller, The Girl on the Train offers a helping of murder mystery, but offers little else.

Emily Blunt comes off a little too disconnected as a woman who goes to such extremes as to sneak vodka into her water bottle. Her preoccupation both with her ex and Megan seems a little unhinged and a bit over the top. Although, this kind of thing most likely does actually happen. Justin Theroux, Haley Bennett, and Luke Evans are all fine, but nothing special.

The story has promise, but doesn’t really deliver on its potential. The movie never sets up the tension it needs to be a true thriller, not for lack of trying. Throughout the beginning of the film, most of the time is spent riding through the film. Then it switches to a number of flashbacks woven into the story. The flashbacks range from times when Rachel and Tom are together to Rachel starting to remember what happened the fateful night she decided to get off the train. When the reveal finally happens, the movie loses some of its momentum. The turnaround is rushed. The killer reveals their motive. It is a bit predictable when all is said and done. The ending is somewhat satisfactory, despite a complete lack of intervention by some of the parties.

All in all, The Girl on the Train is an alright film. Never really achieving the status of a true thriller, it comes off a little boring. I would wait for the RedBox on this one.