The Woman in Cabin 10 review (2025)

The Woman in Cabin 10 probably should get tossed overboard or get relegated to the Isle of Misfit Lifetime movie rejects where it belongs.

What initially seems poised to be an intriguing mystery thriller soon tumbles into a predictable Lifetime trope where powerful men seek to keep women down for their nefarious purposes.

It’s only spared a commercial-filled feature of the week existence due to the strength of its cast, who are fully slumming it in efforts to elevate this weak material in desperate need of a life vest.

Kiera Knightley (The Imitation Game) plays Laura, an investigative reporter for The Guardian. She’s still dealing with some trauma after her source for a story was killed in front of her. Her editor, Rowan (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Loki) is leery Laura’s returned to work too soon to dive back into hard hitting exposes.

As perfect plot timing would have it, Laura’s been invited to a billionaire’s yacht getaway. Richard Bullmer (Guy Pearce, The Brutalist) is hosting a benefit with his billionaire and famous friends for his wife, Anne (Lisa Loven Kongsli, Wonder Woman), who’s dying of cancer.

The Bullmers request Laura’s presence to write an article about their fundraising efforts to aid those who don’t have access to cancer treatment like Anne. That seems a tad too thoughtful for one-percenters. Laura has a brief moment with Anne but is impressed with Anne’s plans for her charitable foundation when she finally succumbs to the cancer.

Naturally, this should raise some red flags but the Woman in Cabin 10 filmmakers erroneously assume viewers haven’t ever watched a murder mystery before.

Director/co-screenwriter Simon Stone and co-screenwriters Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse adapt Ruth Ware’s 2016 novel, (available on Amazon). They set the stage well introducing an entertaining ensemble including Kaya Scodelario, Daniel Ings, Hannah Waddingham and David Morrissey.

To further complicate matters, Laura’s ex-boyfriend, photographer Ben Morgan (David Ajala, Fast and Furious 6) has also been invited to document the trip.

This causes Laura some embarrassment as she seeks to avoid running into Ben and ducks into another room. There, she has a brief encounter with the woman in cabin 10. Later that night, Laura is awoken to sounds of a scuffle next door and is pretty sure she sees a woman’s body getting tossed overboard. Her best guess is it was the woman in cabin 10.

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After waking everyone, the crew breaks the news that everyone is accounted for on the ship. To Laura’s shock, the crew has no record of there ever being a woman in cabin 10.

This is the point where the thrills should intensify as Laura uses her investigative skills to determine what really happened. She knows what she saw and despite the insistence of the crew, she’s able to find some evidence that yes, there was a woman in cabin 10.

Instead, Laura begins acting erratically, clumsily losing evidence and loudly voicing her suspicions. A basic reporter would assess the situation and realize no good would come out of making a spectacle without ironclad evidence and facts.

While she’s not getting much support from the rest of the passengers, Ben is trying to help albeit in a very unhelpful fashion.

Knightley is a good performer with average material and can be great with a good script. She gets neither here as Laura too often takes the most questionable approach in determining the secret of the woman in cabin 10.

This makes it understandably more challenging for Laura to gain much support from her fellow passengers. At 92 minutes, The Woman in Cabin 10 is a quick cruise, but it’s too brisk to spend any useful time developing the supporting cast who are largely self-absorbed background players. Waddingham in particular feels wasted as her character would have benefitted from more screen time.

Pearce is in danger of getting typecast as the too smooth, slick character that probably shouldn’t be trusted. He delivers his usual solid performance, but he’s working uphill against a shoddy script.

For the script deficiencies, Stone is a very capable at directing an engaging thriller. There are no cheap jump scares and the tension is built up well. That makes the third act, which fully goes overboard into goofy, nonsensical soap opera-style melodrama, all the more disappointing.

The Woman in Cabin 10 had potential to be a compelling murder mystery but unravels with a plot that keeps sinking to new depths.

Rating: 4 out of 10

Photo Credit: Netflix

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