THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 (NETFLIX) (2025)

SYNOPSIS: Based on the bestselling novel The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. While on board a luxury yacht for a travel assignment, a journalist (Keira Knightley) witnesses a passenger thrown overboard late at night, only to be told that it didn’t happen, as all passengers and crew are accounted for. Despite no one believing her, she continues to look for answers, putting her own life in danger.

MOVIE REVIEW:

The Woman in Cabin 10 is based on Ruth Ware’s 2016 best-selling novel. Ware’s writing style has often been compared to that of the late mystery queen Agatha Christie. For full disclosure, we haven’t read any of Ware’s novels, so this review is based purely on the movie adaptation itself.

Keira Knightley stars as Lo Blacklock, an award-winning journalist invited to cover the launch of Norwegian shipping heiress Anne Lyngstad’s new cancer foundation aboard a super-luxurious private yacht- think Jeff Bezos-level opulence. Lyngstad, who is battling late-stage cancer, plans to donate her entire fortune to charity alongside her husband, Richard Bullmer (Guy Pearce). Among the select guests is Lo’s ex-boyfriend, Ben Morgan (David Ajala), who has been hired as the event photographer.

One night, Lo hears strange noises coming from the adjacent cabin and witnesses what appears to be a body being thrown overboard from Cabin 10. She raises the alarm, a roll call is conducted but no one is missing. Everyone else is enjoying themselves while Lo grows increasingly anxious. Conveniently, she’s also suffering from PTSD, a detail the film glosses over in passing.

Did Lo imagine what she saw? Or is someone on board trying to silence her? The mystery thickens or at least, it tries to.

The Woman in Cabin 10 feels like a modern, watered-down version of Death on the Nile (2022)- only less old-fashioned, less intriguing, and far less entertaining. None of the supporting characters are compelling enough to serve as true “suspects,” despite a capable cast that includes Hannah Waddingham, David Morrissey, Kaya Scodelario and Christopher Rygh. There’s really only one obvious suspect in this whole affair, and most viewers will likely figure it out long before Lo finds herself trapped in a pool, struggling for her life.

Director and co-writer Simon Stone maintains a veneer of tension through incessant loud sound effects and slick visuals, but it all leads to very little. Knightley, to her credit, turns in a solid performance as a determined journalist caught in over her head. Unfortunately, even her efforts can’t rescue the film from its glossy emptiness.

By the end of its 95-minute runtime, The Woman in Cabin 10 proves to be yet another forgettable Netflix thriller- polished on the surface but hollow underneath. Honestly, we’d rather buy another ticket to Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot escapades than set sail on this one again.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee