‘The Woman In Cabin 10’ Review – Knightley And Pearce Star In A Lazy Murder Mystery

You have to wonder what was lost in translation from page to screen with Netflix’s adaptation of the New York Times bestseller The Woman in Cabin 10. I haven’t read the novel, but I imagine its popularity comes from hitting all the sweet spots of a popcorn mystery thriller. The film, however, delivers little more than yawn-inducing tension, atmosphere, and pacing. You’d expect a sharper modern spin on the paranoid-protagonist formula. Most disappointingly, the hero of the story is its weakest link. Simply put, this is one of the more predictable and forgettable mystery thrillers in recent memory.

Acclaimed reporter Laura Blacklock (Keira Knightley), “Lo” to her friends, has just written the most devastating piece of her career when the story begins. That piece ended with her subject’s death. After a meeting with her editor (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), she agrees to ease back into work by covering a fluff assignment. This assignment is the maiden voyage of a luxury cruise liner hosting some of the world’s most powerful figures. The ship is run by Annie (Wonder Woman’s Lisa Loven Kongsli) and Richard Bullmer (The Brutalist’s Guy Pearce). They are steering it toward a fundraiser for cancer research.

The thing is, Annie is dying of stage four leukemia. She was the one who invited Lo on for the festivities, with no ulterior motive than to document a bunch of rich people patting themselves on the back. Joining the fun is Lo’s ex-boyfriend, Ben (Star Trek: Discovery’s David Ajala). His role and character require him to be Lo’s confident counterpart and point out her flaws. There are a handful of guests, veiling them thinly. All are as well-rounded as a Fathead on your kid’s wall. One of them is Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham. Her character embodies the script’s flaws. The story never engages the audience enough to make them care about the red herrings tied to Lo.

The Woman in Cabin 10 is directed by Simon Stone, who also helmed one of Netflix’s underrated originals, The Dig. (He also previously played Billy in the divisive, jaw-dropping Jindabyne). His film looks slick and polished, but it follows the thriller playbook step by step without adding anything fresh to the experience. Worse, the script feels watered down to the point of disinterest in its own material. The problem becomes clear in the credits. Emma Frost first adapted Ruth Ware’s novel, then rewrote it by Stone, E. Shrapnel, and Anna Waterhouse. The experience, when broken down, is essentially a standard mystery storyboard.

A thriller thrives on tension, danger, and unpredictability. Here, the revisions fail to address all three. The story feels one-dimensional, and the suspense dissipates due to an overreliance on formula, which avoids any genuine risks. Frankly, the script never met a corner it didn’t love to back into and stay there like a couch potato. Yes, Keira Knightley is fine, as always, doing her best in the role. Wanting to avoid spoilers, you’ll know who the killer is almost immediately, and the noted performer hardly registers.

The problem with The Woman in the Cabin 10 is that, following Rian Johnson’s Knives Out film franchise, most mysteries now feel pedestrian. That is a franchise with numerous well-written episodes and a deep bench. It has been nearly impossible to guess the identity of the villain. Even Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot, despite a few missteps, put a premium on plot and character development. It keeps the viewer on the edge of their seats. Here, there isn’t even a plausible reason for the main character to be there. Nor does the character teach the audience the knowledge of investigating and reporting. The result is a mystery without purpose or perspective. It squanders its built-in audience by never giving viewers a reason to care.

You can stream The Woman in Cabin 10 exclusively on Netflix on October 10, 2025.