Year: 2014
Director: David Fincher
Country: US
Language: English
It Happened One Night, When Harry Met Sally, Dear John. These are appropriate films for a date night- if you honestly love your significant other. Gone Girl is the ultimate anti-date picture, it is the film equivalent of Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill. Under normal circumstances I'm underwhelmed by David Fincher, I loathed his cult hit Fight Club, but Gone Girl surpassed my expectations and left me in a mix of awe and despair.
On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports that his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike) , has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick's portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?
Gone Girl is a superb blend of art and entertainment. Unlike 2015's "Best Picture" Oscar winner Birdman, Fincher's film will legitimately appeal to both the casual film goer and the arthouse fanatic. It raises a compelling list of questions, all of which unfold in an intelligent fashion. Adapted from a book by Gillian Flynn, who also shaped this film's script, the picture goes right for the jugular and is unrelenting in its remakable twists and turns. As soon as you get a handle on what it is, it becomes something else, then something else again. The plot is always one step ahead of its audience.
Ben Affleck is terrific in his role, embodying an imperfect man who is slowly loosing his soul. Despite his good looks, the viewer becomes confident that he murdered his poor wife. Rosamund Pike is shocking; a breakthrough role that you'll be talking about for decades. Cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, editor Kirk Baxter and composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross create a toxic atmosphere where divorce is the best case scenario. Gone Girl leaves plenty of room to discuss gender roles, marriage and the expectations we place on each other.
In conclusion, though Gone Girl has many plot holes and can't really stand on its own when held under scrutiny (why didn't the police fingerprint the items in the woodshed?) it's still an astonishing picture that deserves great praise. Fincher leaves the viewer with much to think about; thr many swerves make for quite an interesting emotional journey. Praise it! 4/5
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