Gone Girl Review

Despite Hollywood – for some bizarre reason – seemingly finding it impossible to come up with any original ideas that don’t include remakes, reboots, books or comics adaptations, Gone Girl is a unfortunately not exempt from that list… However, it does break away from the dismal mould of poor adaptations and slips nicely into a sharp, clever social commentary.

Based on the book by the same name, Gone Girl provides the viewer with an exciting and somewhat disturbing look at dishonesty, appearances, the effects of the media and the institution of marriage and relationships. The mystery-thriller, that was directed by David Fincher (Fight Club, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network), was a brilliant choice to take control and helm this adaptation; really making the film his own in terms of vision and structure.

Gone Girl is an intricately well-thawed out and layered narrative experience, with an intriguing mystery at its core that unearths the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage. On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Affleck), who now lives a quiet life in the suburbs of Missouri, reports that his beautiful wife, Amy (Pike), has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing interest from the public thanks to an uncontrollable media frenzy, Nick’s portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits and strange behaviour have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?

Ben Affleck as Nick Dunne trying to find his wife.

The film utilises the use of the flashback technique to advance and flesh out the story and the characters superbly. Ben Affleck, who to some remains as a controversial actor in some of his roles (being casted as the new Batman, anyone?) takes the role of a struggling, distant and awkward husband and delivers an exceptional performance throughout. From the continual character development to the sudden outbursts of a range of motions, Affleck takes the laidback yet troubled Nick Dunne as he deals with the accusations of murdering his wife causing the audience to switch back and forth between empathy and suspicion as the events unfold. Throughout the film, you continually question his temperament by asking the same question: is he a victim or is he a complete sociopath?

His performance is only elevated by the talented Rosamund Pike, who portrays the missing “girl” in question, his wife Amy Dunne. Her character arc is essentially the main plot thread of the entire film, which is something Pike adapts to and makes her own in a never ending exploration of the perks and worries that comes with any long term relationship. The contrasting emotions of the two, when on screen together, help to paint the picture of the potential struggles of relationships in the modern era.

With any good film that has strong and convincing leads, it helps to have a talented supporting cast. Gone Girl has Neil Patrick Harris playing the somewhat creepy, rich and spoilt ex-boyfriend of Amy Dunne, Desi Collings. Tyler Perry plays the contrasting character as the nonchalant and arrogant attorney of Nick Dunne, Tanner Bolt. But the most impressive performance is perhaps by Carrie Coon, who plays Nick Dunne’s twin sister, Margo. Coon provides a solid platform for Affleck to work off from and gives a further insight to his character and their family’s past.

The script is one of the noticeable high points of the film, something that is becoming harder to find in many of today’s blockbusters, and this could be down to the fact that the author of the book, Gillian Flynn had the opportunity to write the screenplay herself. With this, it helped to grab the essence of the book while making it an entirely different entity in itself.

Who's telling the truth then...?

The focus of media exploitation and manipulation of appearances is something that Fincher unravels throughout the film, something that is a major theme throughout the book as well. He takes the fickle opinions of popular news culture and that alone helps to set out the story, supplying the next thread to follow. What makes Gone Girl an enticing film for the casual movie-goers all the way to the raging cinephiles wanting to see it is the fact that it is not a completely straight forward mystery-thriller, with a heavy focus on character development.

Gone Girl is another noteworthy cinematic experience from David Fincher, something that encapsulates the feel and themes of the novel that are portrayed expertly onto the big screen, with its cast really standing out in their respective roles as the ugly side of love rears its head into a memorable movie viewing. Perhaps one of the more memorable – albeit a little disturbing – films of the year that is worth that trip to the cinema.

 

9/10.