The Woman in Cabin 10: A Shallow Yacht Murder Mystery Thriller

Based on the book by Ruth Ware, The Woman in Cabin 10 is Netflix’s newest whodunit murder mystery thriller, starring Keira Knightley and Guy Pearce, among a bevy of recognizable faces. Journalist Laura Blacklock (Knightley) is invited on the luxurious yacht of wealthy businessman Richard Bullmer (Pearce) for a travel assignment, but soon after arriving she witnesses a passenger being thrown overboard late at night, only to be told that it didn’t happen as all the passengers and crew are accounted for. Despite no one believing her, tensions rose as Laura continues to look for answers, putting her life in danger. Having all the right ingredients for a great whodunit thriller, from its cast, to its intriguing premise, it is a rather dull film that merely goes through the motion, while bringing very little to the table in terms of surprises or suspense.

Despite its shortcomings, it is far from a disaster as it has quite a few things going for it which help keep it watchable. Knightley, for one, elevates any material she is given, and this is no different here. The best part of the film, she fully commits to the role, a character audiences can invest in as Laura is the only one afforded anything in the way of development. Similarly, much of the supporting cast aren’t given much to do. That being said, Pearce and Ajala (Ben Morgan) turn in strong work in making the most of their respective roles.

The confined setting of a luxury yacht sailing on the high seas is great for a murder mystery, its sleek look adds to the film’s visuals, making for cinematography that truly pops off the screen in spite of the surrounding grey the skies and seas. In the end, they are not enough to make up for a murder mystery that could have been so much more. Meanwhile, running at just 95 minutes, it is far too short and is a major contributor to a film that feels underdeveloped overall. Limiting the development of the characters, the suspect list becomes small, while its red herrings lose their effectiveness because after giving them an ounce of thought, the identity of the murderer and their motivations are clear.

The murder mystery element of the film is far too predictable to work, playing its hand very early on. Additionally, it doesn’t even give audiences much of a chance to work it out on their own before it just decides to give away all the answers. Severely lacking in tension and suspense, its most heightened moments are also lacking. As mentioned, the film boasts a solid supporting cast featuring the likes of Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Kaya Scodelario, Hannah Wadddingham, and David Morrissey among others, the majority of them are essentially wasted.

Above all else, The Woman in Cabin 10 is certainly passable entertainment but given the potential of its premise, setting, cast and source material, it should have been so much more than it was. Though pretty easy to get through, with Keira Knightley definitely doing her best as the lead, there are countless other murder mystery films out there that are far better and are more worthy recommendations than this one. By the time the film comes to its so-called big revelation and eventual conclusion, it is likely to have audiences wondering if that was really it before fading away shortly after the credits roll.

still courtesy of Netflix

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Connor Carey

www.connorsmoviereviews.com/