Reviews
The Woman in Cabin 10
A good murder mystery relies on intrigue, suspicion, and unexpected turns, however implausible they may be. That is perhaps the most disappointing aspect of The Woman in Cabin 10, as it unfolds with little surprise or suspense. It becomes the latest entry in an ever-growing line of lackluster straight-to-streaming book adaptations, this time from Netflix.
Written and directed by Simon Stone, with Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse co-writing, the film strips away much of what made Ruth Ware’s New York Times bestselling novel so engaging. In doing so, it drains the story of tension and atmosphere, resulting in a flat and uninspired thriller that struggles to hold the viewer’s attention.
The story follows Lo (Keira Knightley), a journalist for The Guardian, still grappling with recent personal and professional trauma. A break from the chaos of her work is suggested by her boss Rowan (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), leading Lo to accept an invitation to the Aurora Borealis, a luxury superyacht owned by shipping heiress Anne (Lisa Loven Kongsli) and her husband Richard (Guy Pearce). The voyage, set against the icy waters of Norway, is intended to launch a charitable foundation as Anne battles terminal cancer, offering Lo what seems like the perfect distraction.
The film wastes little time getting Lo aboard, trading meaningful character development for a brisk setup that drives the plot forward but leaves emotional depth behind. The only character with notable backstory is photojournalist Ben (David Ajala), Lo’s ex, while the rest of the ensemble feels thinly sketched. Guests include the sharp-tongued couple Heidi (Hannah Waddingham) and Thomas (David Morrissey), Richard’s eccentric rock star brother Danny (Paul Kaye), Dr. Robert (Art Malik), who tends to Anne during her illness, and the seemingly famous Grace (Kaya Scodelario). All of these characters feel more like background noise than fully realized personalities, fading into the film’s glossy but hollow world.
What should have been an easy assignment quickly turns ominous. After a private audience with Anne, where the heiress reveals her dying wish to leave her fortune to charity and cut out her husband Richard, Lo is later awakened by sounds of a struggle. To her shock and dismay, she witnesses a mysterious body being thrown overboard from the supposedly empty Cabin 10.
Just as the mystery begins, it feels like it is resolved almost instantly. The film tosses in a few minor twists, all of which hit the clichés of any budget murder mystery without offering anything genuinely surprising. What the audience expects to happen is exactly what unfolds, leaving a sour taste in the mouth.
Perhaps an even bigger flaw is that, despite a star-studded cast of talented actors, they are largely underused. Only the characters even remotely involved in the mystery receive any meaningful development, while many supporting roles could be removed entirely without affecting the storyline or central intrigue, a failure that is especially unforgivable in a film of this genre.
Keira Knightley, in her first return to feature-length films in over two and a half years, is powerless to elevate the material she is given, making her performance fairly forgettable, though through no fault of her own. In fact, there isn’t a single performance that leaves an impression, a reflection of the weak writing and limited material provided to the cast.
Audiences may have been spoiled by murder mysteries like the Knives Out franchise, but a thriller of this nature is meant to deliver an intense and engrossing experience. Instead, The Woman in Cabin 10 becomes increasingly tedious as the predictable conclusion unfolds. Despite a runtime of just 95 minutes, the film drags, with the final act limping painfully to the end.
