Shaky mystery on wrong track

advance notice of its storyline – The Girl on the Train still works as a captivating, almost ghoulish peek behind the curtain of lives that are nowhere near as perfect as they appear on the surface.

Wilson’s script loses none of the secrets, lies, falsehoods and sketchy memories flowing through the pages of Hawkins’ book to serve up a host of deeply flawed characters all with their own agendas.

Characters that are played with great gusto by a largely impressive cast, led by yet another accomplished turn by Londoner Blunt.

She may not be the Rachel pictured by many reading the novel, but Blunt makes for a convincing drunk; sporting tired eyes and a permanently scarlet nose given frequent extra emphasis by Taylor’s camera close-ups.

Like in last year’s outstanding Sicario, Blunt is put through mental and physical hell as the unreliable narrator out to solve the mystery.

Jennifer Lawrence look-a-like Haley Bennett is a powder keg of flirtatious vulnerability and an icy Rebecca Ferguson leaves you questioning her motives right to the very end.

Edgar Ramírez’s hard to read therapist sees the Venezuelan outshine his starrier male costars; Luke Evans is saddled with a thankless, underwritten role and Justin Theroux struggles with his character’s development.

A perfunctory thriller that may have worked better during the late 80s/ early 90s potboiler craze, The Girl on the Train fails to build on the solid platform afforded by its more memorable source material.