The Woman in Cabin 10
Adapted from the novel of the same name, and with more than a passing resemblance to Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes, Keira Knightly stars as investigative journalist Laura Blacklock who, after a rough assignment, takes a posh assignment covering a group of the uber-rich on a private yacht. Things go wrong when Laura witnesses what she believes is a murder onboard, only for no one found to be missing and none of the crew nor the other guests willing to believe her story.
The Woman in Cabin 10 simply doesn't work. Either Laura saw what she says, which evidence she finds continues to back up her story, and is in the middle of a ridiculously contrived cover-up, or she was somehow mistaken. However, the film never sells us that Laura imagining the situation, previous trauma or no, is plausible let alone possible. Nor is the film's half-assed attempts at gaslighting successful.
Once revealed, the motive behind events is clear, although how those events play out is simply absurd (including the killer basically admitting to everything publicly with only the slightest provocation). Knightley is better than the script, but there's only so much she can do with what she's been given. Others largely wasted here include Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Ajala, Hannah Waddingham, and Guy Pearce, none of whom are likely to highlight this misfire on their resumes.
- Title: The Woman in Cabin 10
- IMDb: link
