Gone Girl (2014) Directed by David Fincher. Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris. IMDB says: “With his wife’s disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it’s suspected that he may not be innocent.”
Before I begin my review, let me get the basics out of the way. I’m a David Fincher fanatic. I love and obsess over just about everything in his filmography. You would be hard pressed to find me rooting for another favorite film of the year when he has something out in theaters. I’m the best and worst person to review his work. Asking me to review a Fincher film is sort of like asking Garfield to review lasagna. Sure, I bet he has his favorite Italian spots but he still wants to gobble lasagna anywhere it’s a menu option. With that disclaimer out of the way, I can say that Gone Girl left me fat and happy, licking my paws until I got off every last bit of sauce. It’s fucking delicious.
For his latest film, Fincher is perfectly paired with his source material, a twisty novel written by Gillian Flynn that dissects the workings of a trouble marriage. When husband Nick Dunne’s (Ben Affleck) wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) goes missing, he is the prime suspect in the highly publicized case. To say anything else about this story would be criminal for first time viewers. I was incredibly fortunate to have had the chance to see the movie well before the release date, which proved to be both a blessing and a curse. How am I supposed to contain my squealing questions and gab-worthy movie chat for two weeks?! There are plenty of spoilers to be found for the film but I implore potential movie goers & book readers alike to try and distance themselves as much as possible. The movie would be worth a watch regardless but I imagine it wouldn’t have been nearly as exciting for me if I hadn’t went in stone cold.
So let’s start with the “twists and turns.” What makes a thriller effective generally relies on the film’s ability to surprise. I had already heard that Gone Girl was that kind of thriller (hence my adamant avoidance of spoilers) but the film delivered so many more surprises than I had anticipated. I genuinely can’t remember the last movie I watched that left me completely clueless as to what was about to come next. The film’s events wash over you in a way that seems to seep into your brain without much warning but latches in such a vice grip that you are compelled to watch. There is no time to speculate because the points of intrigue shift just as rapidly as they come into focus as the movie juggles multiple unraveling plot lines that you’re just dying to be threaded together.
Behind the scenes, Fincher works his magic. He takes a more subversive approach to his direction, ultimately letting the story shine brighter than his standard visual flair. However, that doesn’t mean the film isn’t gorgeous. Selecting the aesthetically pleasing in Gone Girl would not be a difficult task but the punctuated moments in the script seem to mirror the most attractive shots. Returning on the film’s score is the Oscar winning duo from The Social Network, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross. The two continue to craft unique, stylish movie music that always feels so incredibly welcome when stacked up against every other fucking score you’ve heard that year. And the cast is STELLAR. I have never seen Ben Affleck turn in a better performance. With his physical profile and personal experience living a life under media scrutiny, Affleck is a perfect match for Nick Dunne on paper but on screen the actor embodies the role. Rosamund Pike gets to dive deep into a role that any actor would die for. She is so captivating and alluring that I have a hard time thinking anyone else could have come close to her performance. I loved all of the supporting players as well including Neil Patrick Harris, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens and yeah, even Tyler Perry.
Everything in the movie is dirty and foreboding and a little trashy but it works. The story is filled with outlandish and salacious moments but Flynn creates a subtext within the madness that is grounded in some ugly truths. A well set “twist” isn’t why the book is so popular. It’s what we can understand about the characters. There are layers below the surface of this married couple that we get to know superficially at first and then intimately as we follow them down the rabbit hole. I’d like to dig a little deeper here but I feel it would be best discussed in time. I’ll just say that it is good storytelling destined to result in even better discussion.
This is a movie for both the perverse and those who pretend not to be. A dark and juicy script linked up with the Fincher’s talent and the intense, fearless performances make Gone Girl irresistible even to the most wholesome audience member. It’s fun and funny and fabulously fucked up.
