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.

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.

Another example of how it takes a genius like Hitchcock to make such material a winner. "Comedy! Chills! Chuckles!" Hitchcock fulfilled these advertising promises in 1938. "The Lady Vanishes" is still a delight today. "The Woman in Cabin 10" has a first-class leading actress in Keira Knightley. That saves it from being a complete flop. Otherwise, there's zero comedy, just a few embarrassing attempts at chuckles and far too few chills. But ... Keira Knightley is in it.

A reporter played by Keira Knightley is brought in to cover a story on a luxury yacht as it sails from the UK to Norway. One night she thinks she seems someone go overboard, but there is no record of such a person ever having been on the boat. Is she losing her mind, or is something going on?

The film is a modern day take on the 1938 Hitchcock film The Lady Vanishes, using the same underlying concept. It starts off strong, gradually building up the background of the story and characters, and making good use of the setting on this beautifully designed boat, letting it almost become like another character.

However as time goes on, the twists and turns in the story start coming a little too unsatisfyingly fast. You don't get to enjoy the unraveling of the mystery as much as you could, and the implausibilities start building up.

The final act really falls flat, as things become increasingly ludicrous.

Overall not a bad film, starts off strong, but then descends into mediocrity. 6/10.

"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.