The Woman in Cabin 10

I find a mystery set on a boat irresistible. Even with a “locked room” mystery, contained to a mansion or a hotel, there are ways to run away. There is no place to go but overboard when you’re confined to a yacht in the middle of the sea. It’s inescapable, which ratchets up the tension.

The Woman in Cabin 10, based on the massive 2016 bestseller by Ruth Ware, makes the most of this watery setting as it boards a three-day cruise that bodes ill for its small group of inhabitants.

Investigative journalist Laura Blacklock (Keira Knightley) jumps at the chance to join the cruise to cover the new cancer charity being announced onboard by the yacht’s super-rich owners, billionaire Richard Bullmer and his cancer-stricken wife, Anne. A select handful of big donors are invited on the cruise as well, including a boozy socialite with a mean streak, played by Hannah Waddingham.

Laura, who goes by “Lo,” needs a light assignment after the trauma of witnessing one of her key sources for another story being murdered for talking to her. Well, this ship is definitely not the Love Boat, and these shipwrecked souls do not end up on Gilligan’s Island. From the start, there is a menacing air to the group and the yacht itself.

While being stuck onboard for three days with her photographer ex (David Ajala) is bad enough, the other cruisers don’t exactly go out of their way to make Lo feel welcome. That is, except for the frail Anne, who admires her work and asked that Lo come and report on the new cancer foundation she hopes will be her bequest to the world when she dies, a reality that seems imminent.

On her first night there, Lo hears screaming and a splash outside her stateroom. When she rushes outside on her deck, she realizes someone has gone overboard. But when she runs around pounding on doors to get help for whoever went into the cold, murky sea, no one else has heard or seen anything. In fact, they begin to treat her as if she is hearing things—or worse. It’s gaslighting at its finest, as people insinuate that Lo must have PTSD from her last assignment. (She likely does have PTSD, but that’s not what’s going on here.)

Knightley is terrific as the whip-smart, brave, yet damaged journalist who must unravel this tangled knot by her wits alone. What unspools after this setup brings a few gasps and thrills. After all, what is a thriller for? But the movie was definitely not as good as the book, which made my pulse pound and my heart race. Since it was so long ago that I read it, I forgot the ending, which, in any case, was changed in the movie. Still, if you like a good thriller that’s not smarmy or riddled with profanity (though there are a few instances), this flick is an entertaining diversion on a Friday night.

Christian viewers will spot the emptiness of the mega-rich and vain people on board the yacht. They have nothing to live for except wealth and prestige. And they may be reminded of 2 Timothy 1:7—“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” As Lo races to save herself and others from the evil forces at work around her, viewers are reminded that we, too, struggle with unseen forces and that we have been given power, love, and a sound mind. (Rated R for language and violence. Netflix)