The Woman in Cabin 10. (L-R) Keira Knightley as Lo and Daniel Ings as Adam in The Woman in Cabin 10. Cr. Parisa Taghizadeh/Netflix © 2025
From CBS Films, Sister Pictures, & the Gotham Group, The Woman in Cabin 10 is the latest Keira Knightley Netflix project following the success of last year’s hit spy thriller series “Black Doves”. Based on the New York Times bestselling novel from Ruth Ware and the adaptation from “The Spanish Princess” creator Emma Frost, the film is written by past Netflix original movie scribes Joe Shrapnel & Anna Waterhouse (Rebecca), along with writer/director Simon Stone (The Dig).
Following up Boston Strangler & the aforementioned Black Doves, Knightley dives right back into the crime thriller genre as she portrays journalist Laura Blacklock, or Lo to those closest, who after coming off an expose of a corrupt NGO, takes a far more casual human interest story: up-close coverage for an exclusive trip aboard the Aurora Borealis, an impressive superyacht owned by Richard Bulmer and his wife, shipping heiress Anne Lyngstad, that will sail the largest donors & board members for their newly created cancer foundation through the Norwegian fjords.
Suffering from Stage 4 cancer and a follower of Laura’s work, Anne was responsible for Laura’s invitation as she hoped she would, not only give good press to the foundation, but would be able to help her with the speech she would be giving at the gala commencing at journey’s end.
However, Laura’s journalistic priorities would shift to a much darker and more sinister subject matter as she is awakened on the first night to a struggle coming from the cabin next door. A loud splash of someone tossed overboard and a bloody hand on the connecting wall sends Laura into a distressed panic, demanding the boat be stopped. When security is alerted, they find her story hard to believe as no one was staying in the cabin next door and everyone on board has been accounted for. Knowing what she saw with too much evidence to ignore, Laura is determined to get to the truth about the woman in Cabin 10.
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The Woman in Cabin 10. Keira Knightley as Lo in The Woman in Cabin 10. Cr. Parisa Taghizadeh/Netflix © 2025
With a bestselling novel as your basis and a star in Knightley in the lead, the expectation should be a page-turner turned captivating watch that you just can’t take your eyes off. While I can’t speak for the novel’s appeal, after seeing the film, I can only imagine it’s a matter of straightforward simplicity.
The Woman in Cabin 10 is a basic Agatha Christie “trapped in a dangerous place with no way out” conceit tinged very lightly with a post-MeToo lack of belief in women in crisis. While the production design and casting can put us in a believable ride with the uber wealthy, unfortunately, the true lack was in selling the thrills & the mystery of the story with more complex supporting characters and a stronger visual palette from director Simon Stone.
There should be few things in life more distressing than being in danger at sea. Nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide. The frigid waters with no shore in sight. Your only “friend” is an ex-lover who’s spent more time with the rich & powerful guests aboard in recent years than he ever did with you. You don’t know these people or what they are capable of, and you’ve just witnessed a woman tossed overboard with no one believing your story. The walls should be closing in. The isolation and the fear should be palpable. The world-dominating elite should not be trusted. This should sell itself.
But sorry, this is not Hitchcock on a boat or even a Shyamalan twist. This is one plausible, vanilla, down-the-middle rendition of a modern streaming thriller; a sheen of decadence with no visual athleticism, very little tension mounting, a generic score not used well for impact, and a broad sense of scope & lighting that strips away the anxiety of the moment.
The Woman in Cabin 10. (L-R) David Morrissey as Thomas and Hannah Waddingham as Heidi in The Woman in Cabin 10. Cr. Parisa Taghizadeh/Netflix © 2025
While the bland visual language of the film can be ignored or overlooked by casual viewers seeking a quality mystery before Wake Up, Dead Man aka Knives Out 3 arrives later this Fall, the writing may take more of a chunk out of the experience. While the cast, headed by 2 Oscar-nominated actors in Knightley & Guy Pearce (The Brutalist, Memento, L.A. Confidential) and the always captivating Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso), certainly give their best efforts, it’s the lack of depth in the rogue’s gallery of world-beating champions of industry that truly let the story down. A “sobering” charmer of a rock star, a stoic creeper of a tech bro with little screen time, a sharp-tongued magnate of the arts whose worst crime seems to be falling asleep in bathtubs or having consensual rough play with her husband, & a couple of party-hard brats are all on board waiting to have their particular brands exploited to throw the scent off the obvious suspect, but to no avail. Reduced to a crew of complainers with blind allegiance to their financial peers, the supporting cast outside of the core conspirators are paper-thin caricatures that never have the bite to make things interesting.
Even with all its faults and lack of intense filmmaking in what is supposed to be a journalistic thriller, what makes The Woman in Cabin 10 watchable is simple: put really good actors at the center of your story and don’t waste your audience’s time. At 90 minutes, the film gets straight to the point; 5 minutes before we’re on the boat, 20 or so before the mystery person is tossed overboard, and about 45-50 before we know everything.
The Woman in Cabin 10. Guy Pearce as Bullmer in The Woman in Cabin 10. Cr. Parisa Taghizadeh/Netflix © 2025
Guiding you through is Kiera Knightley, a veteran actress who knows exactly what she is and how to use her particular set of skills; an expressive face, a body built for the streets or the sheets, a tightly wound weapon who can disarm you with a smile or a knife. She seems to have taken an interest in being the sharp-minded, hard-charging sleuth of various forms over the past few projects, and this film, naturally, is better for it. Unfortunately, for every superlative I could give for a smartly written, deeply entertaining series like “Black Doves”, I could give a half-hearted “it’s ok” in kind to this film. Let’s hope Knightley doesn’t get too lost in the Harry Potter universe, so she can keep looking for justice in the dark corners of society again real soon. Just bring more thrills next time.
Watch The Woman in Cabin 10 If You Liked
- A Murder at the End of the World
- The Woman in the Window
- Murder on the Orient Express
- Boston Strangler
MVP of The Woman in Cabin 10
Kiera Knightley as Laura Blacklock
As noted above, Knightley’s performance is the main attraction in a mostly forgettable script. Her ability to bring a level of intensity and thrill even when the filmmaking does her no favors is impressive. Even as generic as this one is, Knightley being the bold, smart, & fearless uncoverer of secrets remains a must watch as she needs to be the lead in more films.
Kiera Knightley saves an obvious, blandly designed “thriller” from the depths of tedium
