From the moment a scream cuts through the still night on a luxury yacht, The Woman in Cabin 10 throws you into a claustrophobic world of suspicion, secrets and shifting alibis. The set-up is strong—with Keira Knightley as Laura “Lo” Blacklock, a journalist who believes she’s witnessed a murder in cabin 10—and the promise of noir-style intrigue flickers throughout.

The cast is an all-star lineup: Guy Pearce, Gugu Mbatha‑Raw, Hannah Waddingham, Kaya Scodelario and many more fill the yacht with familiar faces you trust and then immediately distrust. Director Simon Stone, working from a screenplay adapted from Ruth Ware’s bestselling novel, keeps the pace moving briskly through gleaming corridors, locked rooms and fog-drenched decks.

Knightley anchors the movie with her signature poise, and you’d genuinely have fun watching the tension mount and layers peel away. The yacht becomes another character—both inviting and menacing.

But for all that it pulls off, The Woman in Cabin 10 also stumbles. Most characters (aside from Knightley) remain flat: we don’t know enough about their backstories or stakes to care when the plot twists pile up. And while twist-heavy thrillers demand puzzle-solving, by the time the big reveal lands, it almost feels inevitable.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently holds a score of 28%, while on IMDb it floats at about 5.9/10—markers that reflect the mixed critical response.

So, final verdict, if you’re in the mood for something sleek, suspense-driven and set aboard a floating palace of secrets, this one’s worth your time. It’s “watchable, yes”; it’s “enjoyable, yes”; but is it as polished and profound as the novel? Not quite.