In Gone Girl, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) finds his life turned completely upside down when his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) disappears, leaving behind signs of a struggle and evidence that seems to point towards murder . Naturally, the news and media almost immediately peg Nick as the culprit, poisoning his neighbors and even the world's view of him. Could a marriage on the rocks and harsh financial times drive a husband to murder, or is everything not as it seems?
Gone Girl is directed by David Fincher, and this is the kind of story and material that is right up his alley. Naturally, he doesn't disappoint. The whole film feels like a Fincher creation. Aided by a pretty strong screenplay by Gillian Flynn (who also wrote the novel), it's no surprise that Fincher was able to craft another top notch film.
The cast here is just about perfect. Ben Affleck is a natural as Nick Dunne, he completely nails the smarmy charming guy everyone loves to hate. This is easily his best role in years. The chemistry he shares with Carrie Coon (who portrays his sister Margot "Go" Dunne) feels real. It's easy to buy the both of them as siblings, and Coon puts on a pretty top notch performance as well. I also really like the chemistry and dynamic between Affleck and Pike's characters. Tyler Perry is perfect as Tanner Bolt, the oily but charming lawyer brought in to defend Nick. This is without a doubt Perry's best role to date, and his work here proves that with the right director this guy can actually act. Rosamund Pike is pretty great as Amy (some of her scenes were pretty impressive), doing pretty much everything she needed to in order to bring her character to proper life. Missi Pyle also makes a mark as Ellen Abbot, our Nancy Grace stand-in that is leading the charge against Nick. NPH is kind of wasted here, and Kim Dickens and Patrick Fugit as the detectives don't leave much of an impression (though it is clear that Kim Dickens is trying here, God bless her).
Gone Girl has a pretty dark, cynical heart and I love that about it. This is a film that openly laughs at the idea of marriage, and even questions the concept of it. I mean, how well can you really ever know your significant other (one of the key questions of this film)? In a weird way, Gone Girl is an angry film: it's angry at the media and the media culture we live in (which it constantly comments on and critiques) and it's got some beef with marriage as well. While this is a dark film, it manages to have fun with it's twisty proceedings and is also quite funny a good deal of the time (lots of dark humor here). It's inevitable that we're going to form our own opinions of who Nick and Amy are and what is going on, and part of the fun of this film is watching as the layers are ripped away until we are left with the truth (This is a film that will challenge your preconceived notions and make you feel like a fool for even assuming you know who these people are). The film is beautiful in a technical sense. Every shot is polished and clean, and the whole film has a dreamy type vibe to it. The score by Trent Raznor and Atticus Ross is also exquisite and almost ever present, itself helping add to the dream-like feel of the film.
I think it goes without saying that the novel is far better than the film. There's more detail in the novel, and I feel the twists and reveals hit harder there....that said, this is still a pretty damned great film version (that hews very closely to the novel). My only real complaint would be that they cut a lot of the first act of the novel out of the film, choosing to focus more on the second and third acts instead. They cut a good deal of the meat here, but the parts that remain are still more than satisfying enough.
Gone Girl is an expertly crafted film that boasts a strong cast (with the respective leads fitting their roles exceptionally well), a great director at the top of his game, a screenwriter who manages to adapt her source material pretty well, and a great editor and cinematographer (Kirk Baxter and Jeff Cronenweth respectively). It's expertly paced, pretty dark, angry, and cynical, but also manages to have fun with it's proceedings while mixing a good deal of dark humor, wit, and commentary into the film (Yes, this film will make you think). The end product feels like a dreamy suburban nightmare, and it's completely refreshing and exciting.
5 STARS
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