I’m not much of a reader these days, so I could be biased in my forthcoming review of the new thriller “The Girl On The Train” directed by Tate Taylor, based on the “thriller that shocked the world”. Despite being well acted by the top-billed Emily Blunt, it’s a far cry from other well made films in the same vein, for instance, a fellow fall release, “Gone Girl”.

Paula Hawkins who penned the novel which inspired the feature length film, plays on a tightly thin narrative (one we all have seen many times before). Thankfully, the main character, Rachel (Blunt) is interesting to watch, as a lost, drunken, widow that sits on a train for endless hours of the day, watching time go by and infidelities conspire. Taylor does a passive job at slowly relying the events which lead us to where the film begins (I emphasize the slow). It’s nice to not have a director spoonfeed us all the information, and let the mind wander. Even if the final 20 minutes are on the upscale of a made for tv-movie, only this film has production value.

What makes Rachel so intriguing from the gate, is that we see the story unfold through her perspective (a trait which Taylor borrows from others before him). We learn that she used to have a husband (played by screenwriter turned actor Justin Theroux), only to find out that he was unfaithful in their marriage and eloped with his lover, a real estate agent named Anna (Rebecca Ferguson) and started a family. On her daily rides, Rachel often witnesses a girl from afar, her name is Megan Hipwell (Haley Bennett), and she is jealous of what looks like to be a lavish lifestyle with her husband, Scott (Luke Evans). Yet, on the inside, that’s not what it appears to be.

Many story and character arcs get introduced before the main bulk of the action begins to happen, which revolves around Megan going missing, around the same time Rachel confronts her in a drunken brawl. Leaving her as one of the main suspects in her untimely, and very coincidental, disappearance. Two hot-shot detectives (Allison Janney and Gregory Morley) show up on her front door the next day asking if she murdered her. Of course, we can’t know for sure. With lines like “Because, I’m afraid of myself” the screenplay is suggesting that Rachel might be capable of doing such a heinous action, but, other suspects often step in the limelight, until the very end when, yes, all gets revealed, but I must say, it’s rather underwhelming.

As I said, Taylor is a good, stylized, director who shoots with a passion for the screen, and the fine actors (mostly Blunt and Ferguson) are powerful female leads, even Theroux does an exceptional job. The narrative is just too “been there, and done that” to really escalate anywhere, unlike ‘Gone Girl’ when the rising action actually built up to a worthwhile conclusion that was ambiguous and rewarding.

“The Girl On The Train” while mildly entertaining, is a more glossed up version of a ‘CSI’ episode with top-billed stars. I’m sure the book is far more worth your time (as others have told me). I enjoyed the movie, in the same way anyone enjoys a late night 1 hr crime episode on CBS. It’s easy, because it’s a low commitment, which this movie is. But that begs the question, why go and pay at the movies, when you can get the same thing on T.V for free? B-