It’s 1:05 a.m., I just got home from my local theater--one which I work at--and I’m trying to decide if I enjoyed “The Girl on the Train." It’s just like clockwork: each year, typically in the fall, a picturesque, violent, mysterious film creeps its ways into cinemas. 2013 gave us “Prisoners," ’14 was “Gone Girl," ’15 was “Secret in Their Eyes" and finally, in 2016, “The Girl on the Train," adapted from Paula Hawkins’ bestseller, has arrived.

We meet our alcoholic main character, Rachel, who is played by Emily Blunt. And, apparently, all this film wants you to understand about her is that she is a raging alcoholic, one who fantasizes about beautiful people she sees outside her window of the train she takes for her daily commute. Take the typical fashion of the mystery genre, then add the esoteric and enigmatic style of production/cinematography, and you are going to be very confused. If you’re lucky enough to catch this flick with some form of a companion, you will probably find yourself whispering all of your inquisitions and hypotheses to them for a good portion of this film. And sure, that’s part of the fun of a good mystery, but “The Girl on the Train” gets off track one too many times.

After we’re introduced to Rachel, the plot begins to carelessly untangle itself. In her frequent and habitual transit, we learn of her infatuation with two homes and their residents: one housing ex-husband (Tom, played by Justin Theroux) and his new wife (Anna, played by Rebecca Ferguson), and the other belonging to a married couple (Scott, played by Luke Evans and Megan, played by Haley Bennett) who she has never met. These characters, with the addition of a psychiatrist (Abdic, played by Édgar Ramírez), are suddenly all connected, then the mystery begins.

*Cue mystery movie clichés*

Someone dies. Fingers point to the crazy girl on the train. The Crazy girl blacks out. The story remains non-linear, adding to the frustration. These screenplays have a cardinal sin, and that is to sacrifice good stories for fancy writing/editing designed purely to confuse the audience. And that is the case here--the film holds its breath for too long. The payoff in these mystery-drama compounds rely on the foundation of the narrative structure which they are built from, and this movie doesn’t seem to have a clear idea of what that is. On the corner of melodramatic and unbelievable, the story takes sharp turns, ones that seemingly contradict things we believed to be (and not to be) true. These films, as of late, seem plagued with plot holes, inconsistent in continuity and have a general lack of self-awareness. The train has derailed.

Alternatively, something we’ve come to expect from these types of films is that there are at least one or two solid performance(s) that can hold the chaos together. In this case, it is Emily Blunt and Haley Bennett (sort of). Blunt plays a convincing drunk and is rather disturbing in her inebriated state (look for the bathroom scene). This role accentuates Blunt’s versatility as an actress and is probably one of her greatest performances that I’ve seen. Bennett, trailing ever-so-slightly, is another positive addition to the film but is written too quaintly to ever really flourish. The narratives of these two characters seem to be the most fleshed out and realized; that, and the acting never seemed forced.

Don’t get me wrong, “The Girl on the Train” doesn’t always disappoint. There are some clever character developments, plot points, and twists, but when you strip away the formulaic foundation from this movie (confusing and mysterious first half followed by a death followed by patchy and vague story-telling, all culminating in a decent twist) all you're left with is a couple of good performances. Also, if you’re intuitive/able to read these types of films, chances are you will figure this movie out long before it tries to impress you with its amateur ending.

Is it worth seeing? I suppose. Is it worth any accolades during award season? No. Simply put, “The Girl on the Train” is an extravagant and difficult movie. Violent and dark in tone, it’s easy to grow tired of the cruel nature that these films harp on intensely. Though, if you’re simply drawn in by the mystery, I can’t blame you, just don’t necessarily expect this thriller to shock your world.

I give "The Girl on the Train" a 5.5/10.

Cast: Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Edgar Ramirez

Rating: R (for violence, sexual content, language, and nudity)

Genre: Drama, Mystery & Suspense

Directed by: Tate Taylor, Written by: Erin Cressida Wilson