The phrase “made for TV movie” is increasingly meaningless in the streaming era, but still, you know one when you see one. Netflix and Amazon have both made successful inroads in the realm of Hallmark-style Christmas rom-coms, and with The Woman in Cabin 10, Netflix gives us a glossy version of a Lifetime thriller, full of aspirational locations, gaslighting villains, and untrustworthy men. The excellent cast — which includes Keira Knightley, Guy Pearce and Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham — are all punching way above the quality of the script, which has a tendency to state the obvious. The introductory scene, for example, is literally just Keira Knightley and Gugu Mbatha-Raw explaining the protagonist’s career and personality to the audience, although both actors are so casually engaging that I was happy to let it slide.
Adapted from the bestselling novel by Ruth Ware, The Woman in Cabin 10 stars Knightley as Laura Blacklock, a workaholic investigative journalist who just got back from a traumatic assignment. Urged by her editor to take a break, she agrees to a working vacation: A trip on a gorgeous luxury yacht belonging to billionaire Richard Bullmer (Guy Pearce), who wants her to write about his latest charity project. His wife Annie (Lisa Loven Kongsli) is terminally ill, and this voyage is in her honor, joined by a group of guests including Annie’s private doctor (Art Malik), a tech CEO (Christopher Rygh), a mean but charismatic rich lady (Hannah Waddingham), an influencer (Kaya Skodelario) and, awkwardly, Laura's photographer ex-boyfriend (David Ajala).
The set-up here is similar to 2023's FX series A Murder at the End of the World, which saw an enigmatic billionaire invite a detective to his private bunker at the North Pole. Likewise it has a lot in common with the Knives Out/Agatha Christie formula, gathering an idiosyncratic pool of suspects in a secluded location. Given the rules of the genre, we can assume that some of these people are hiding dark secrets, leaving Laura to navigate sinister power dynamics while they’re all trapped together on Bullmer’s yacht.
Things come to a head on the first night of the cruise, when Laura hears sounds of a struggle in the cabin next door. Making her way out onto the balcony, she arrives just in time to see a body fall into the ocean. But when she raises the alarm, the crew assure her that there was never anyone staying in the cabin next door. Everyone on the guest list is accounted for.
So what did Laura see? Bullmer’s friends try, with growing impatience, to convince her that she must have imagined it. However Laura is certain that she just witnessed a murder, and when she tries to investigate, she realizes that her life may also be in danger. The gap between her and the other guests quickly begins to widen, emphasizing her outsider status. Rich people only enjoy having journalists around when they’re providing flattering coverage — not when they’re purposefully stirring up trouble.
Previously known for the historical drama The Dig and a slew of impressive theater projects, director Simon Stone drums up a suspenseful atmosphere as the paranoid Laura rails against her frustratingly relaxed and careless hosts. The film’s problems mainly seem to lie with the script, which is co-credited to Stone and the screenwriting partners Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse, whose last two projects were the G.I. Joe spinoff Snake Eyes, and the inexcusably disastrous Armie Hammer/Lily James Rebecca remake. So, we’re pairing a lead actress who never gives a bad performance with a duo of writers who I strongly suspect have never made a good movie.
Even when the plot twists strain credulity, there’s always something relatable about this style of thriller, focusing on a woman whose fears are dismissed and derided by those in power. It’s easy to get sucked in as the tension mounts, yet The Woman in Cabin 10 still feels more Lifetime movie than Gone Girl — in part because the supporting cast are so one-dimensional.
Right from the get-go, you’re invited to feel suspicious of Guy Pearce’s Bullmer. He’s a billionaire with a mysterious ailing wife in a psychological thriller, and he handwaves a potential murder on his yacht! Come on. So why doesn’t the film give him more character development? The same goes for Bullmer’s guests, whose superficial characterization is bolstered by compelling casting. Considering the film’s curiously short 95-minute runtime, it just feels like we should’ve spent more time with these people, building their relationships and establishing potential motives before the really high-stakes drama kicks in.
Like many Netflix releases, The Woman in Cabin 10 offers competent but unambitious entertainment, slotting popular actors into a well-trod genre. As a Keira Knightley fan who loves claustrophobic psychological thrillers, I’m presumably among its target audience. But while there are some nail-biting moments in here, the writing is too shallow and predictable to make this a memorable watch.
