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“The Woman in Cabin 10” is the new Netflix murder mystery thriller starring Keira Knightley, which, unfortunately, is the only thing interesting about it. If you’ve seen any other murder mystery — like the Hulu television series “Murder at the Edge of the World,” “Death and Other Details” or the Netflix movie “The Glass Onion” — you’ve already seen this movie. Relying heavily on tropes of the genre for its storyline, the film creates an entirely predictable experience. While the final twist and the overall setup might seem fresh, the movie’s lack of depth and originality will leave viewers as unsatisfied as I was upon rewatching.
The plot of “The Woman in Cabin 10” is quite unoriginal. A rich man gathers his friends on a cruise to raise awareness for cancer, as his wife battles cancer herself. He invites a journalist — our main character, played by Knightley — to come on his cruise and write about their cause. She witnesses a murder, but no one believes her. Her insistence that it really happened is what makes her a target for the murderer. The cruise guests are all bland character tropes: the drunk, the powerful businesswoman and the tech-savvy billionaire. Although a lot happens throughout the movie, none of it ends up being significant, and the movie’s end is ultimately identical to the initial setup.
Upon reflection, I found myself questioning if the movie was as bad as I first thought since, in the end, it had all the elements of a good murder mystery: rich billionaires, witty side characters and plot twists. I thought it might be the movie’s predictability that made it so terrible. However, I’m one of those rare people who love rewatching murder mysteries even after the twist has been spoiled. So, if this is the kind of movie where I can already guess the twist, what makes it different from any other murder mysteries I rewatch? Then it hit me: There’s no substance beyond the mystery. With no substance, there’s no comedy, no character development and not even any side characters we really get to know.
Additionally, the movie has no flair of its own. That’s not for lack of trying; the movie does introduce interesting topics, like the main character’s previous experience as a murder witness and her struggles with writer’s block. The movie also tries to incorporate humor with throwaway lines about the shadiness of various cruise guests. But none of these threads actually lead anywhere. It already feels hollow during the first watch, so much so that a rewatch, in which you already know the upcoming twist, just reveals how little effort was put into the movie. There is none of the love and passion that abounds in other mystery media, such as “Murder at the Edge of the World” or “The Glass Onion,” stories with very similar premises, but so much more care put into them. The characters of these stories have reason and personality behind their actions, but “The Woman in Cabin 10” fails to give personality to its characters or its story in general.
Overall, this movie isn’t offensive, but there’s nothing that makes it stand out. Ultimately, it’s a great background movie, and if you’re looking for something to have on when you can’t pay attention, you’d be happy with the movie. Someone who doesn’t know the genre might even like it on a first watch. But, in the end, I can’t recommend this movie to anyone looking for a good murder mystery.