The Woman in Cabin 10

"The Woman in Cabin 10" sets itself up with all the right ingredients - big names splashed across the credits, a yacht so sleek it makes you wonder who you have to know just to step on deck, and the kind of British accents that dress up even the most ordinary line of dialogue. At the center, there's Keira Knightley, who has that rare thing you can't fake - she walks into a frame and you believe her, you root for her, even before she's said a word. Through her, we're pulled into this world of polished surfaces and bottomless champagne flutes, a fantasy of luxury until the whole thing tilts into something darker. A scream in the night. A shadow where it doesn't belong. Suddenly we're not watching a travelogue anymore; we're caught in a whodunnit, with everyone on board a suspect and nobody telling the truth. The trouble is, the story isn't as fresh as it thinks it is. You've seen this ride before - mystery built on familiar scaffolding, twists you can spot if you've been paying attention, and the occasional scene that exists only because the plot won't move without it. And yet - Knightley keeps you there. She carries the film on sheer presence, makes you forget the clichés long enough to see it through, and when the ending finally lands, it does just enough to leave you satisfied. Without her, this would've been another forgettable thriller lost at sea. With her, it earns its 7 out of 10, not great, not groundbreaking, but worth the watch.

If you're scrolling Netflix for a quick and easy Friday night watch, this may fit the bill.

Keira Knightly plays a journalist, and at the outset I thought this might play out as a political thriller. But it's more along the lines of an Agatha Christie mystery, or more precisely Flightplan (2005) but on a yacht. There is a twist I did not see coming, at least in part due to its implausibility.

There are some great actors in supporting roles, but sadly they are given little to do as mostly one-dimensional characters. Gugu Mbatha-Raw in particular is criminally underutilized.

Nonetheless, a bowl of popcorn, 90 minutes, easy-peasy. I give it an extra star just for Knightley.

Greetings again from the darkness. We all love a thrilling whodunit murder mystery. The best ones offer a magical blend of creative story, interesting setting, and fascinating characters. Writer-director Simon Stone (THE DIG, 2021) has delivered a film adapted from the best-selling 2016 novel by Ruth Ware. Frequent writing partners (SEBERG,2019) Joe Schrapnel and Anna Waterhouse collaborated with Stone to adapt the novel into a movie that looks great, and for the most part, fulfills the above listed requirements.

Keira Knightly stars as Laura Blacklock, an award-winning journalist who has been through a recent traumatic experience while on the job. Her editor (an underutilized Gugu Mbatha-Raw, BELLE, 2013) tries to convince Laura to take some time off. Instead, she accepts an invitation from billionaire Richard Bullmer (Guy Pearce) to join his gaggle of rich friends aboard a 3-day cruise on his ultra-luxury yacht. The purpose is to fundraise for cancer treatments as a tribute to his wife Ann, recently stricken with the dreaded disease.

The guest list includes the very rich and famous, and Laura's job is to cover the 'charitable' event. You'll likely notice pretty quickly that, just like in real life, movie billionaires are difficult to relate to and easy to dislike. Some are outright obnoxious like Adam (Daniel Ings, "The Gentlemen") and Heidi (Hannah Waddingham, "Ted Lasso"), while others are just a bit too creepy, such as Dr. Mehta (Art Malik) and the host, Bullmer. There's also rock star Danny Tyler (Paul Kay, "After Life"), a former party animal who has cleaned up his life and is intent on avoiding trouble and bad publicity.

Coincidentally (or not), Bullmer has hired Laura's ex-boyfriend Ben (David Ajala, "Star Trek: Discovery") as the official photographer for the cruise. Things are going awkwardly fine until the middle of the first night when Laura is awakened by a scuffle next door that results in someone going overboard. The conspiracy is in full mode once all passengers are accounted for and Laura is positioned as a bit unstable, given her insistence that she heard and saw someone go in the water. A couple of other interesting supporting roles are covered by Gitte Witt and Kaya Scodelario ("The Gentlemen"), neither of which belong to the rich group.

The rest of the movie comes down to Laura trying to solve this mystery, while certain forces are preventing her from doing so. It's a tale as old as time, and a common cliché - follow the money until you have your answer, and don't trust the filthy rich folks. There's another theme here that I found even more interesting, and that's the frustration and panic that Laura feels when no one believes her story. It's such a tough challenge. Her struggle and tenacity is what makes the film work. It's highly likely that the novel plays even better than the screen version, as some of what happens here seems unlikely in a real-world event. Still, there is entertainment value in trying to stay ahead of the curve.

Releasing globally on Netflix on October 10, 2025.

"The Woman in Cabin 10" sails steadily through familiar thriller waters - neither sinking nor soaring. It's a film that sits comfortably in the middle: not particularly gripping, but not outright bad either. The performances are solid, with the cast doing a commendable job at keeping the tension alive, even when the story doesn't fully support them.

The main issue lies in the script, which feels a bit undercooked. The setup is promising, but the plot lacks the punch and complexity needed to elevate it beyond "just fine." The dialogue sometimes feels mechanical, and a few key moments that should hit hard simply drift by without much weight.

Still, "The Woman in Cabin 10" remains a passable watch - the kind of movie that's decent for a quiet evening but won't stick with you once the credits roll. Average through and through, with glimpses of what could have been a sharper, more memorable thriller.

It's relatively gripping for the first 20-30 mins. However, one soon starts to get irritated by the main character's actions. For a seasoned serious journalist, she sure looses her cool easily. It's a wee bit easy to see the plot development (when it comes, you are sort of disgusted how easy it was to guess). But what happens in the last 1/3rd is just pure silliness. Like someone was running out of time to finish the loose ends, and give a way out.

I read the synopsis of the novel, and it sounds like the original story actually would have made sense. What they tried to augment in the adaption ruined the whole thing.