Film Review: Gone Girl (2014)

Romance Reviews (4) Gone Girl (1) David Fincher (1) Film Reviews (1) Thriller Films (1)

Director: David Fincher
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Now showing in cinemas everywhere.

Based on the bestseller of the same name by Gillian Flynn, the long awaited Gone Girl’s rarity lies not only in its classic neo-noir look and atmosphere, but in the realisation that in this particular instance the film is certainly better than the book.

After they make the move from New York City to small town Missouri, Nick (Ben Affleck) and Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) seem like they have the average middle class marriage. That is, until the day Nick arrives home to find that his wife has disappeared under mysterious circumstances. When the cracks in their marriage start to show throughout the investigation in front of the world, Nick finds himself the main suspect for his wife’s disappearance and assumed murder. As the days pass, Nick finds himself unable to convince anyone that he was not involved in this crime and comes to realise that he perhaps didn’t know what was happening in his marriage as much as he thought he did.

Gone Girl is a breath of fresh air into a world where it is extremely common for the movie not to measure up to the intelligence and emotional impact of the book. However, David Fincher’s film is quite the opposite. The film stays well and truly faithful to the book, which will be problematic for the many who did not appreciate the ending of the novel. Yet, it does a better job at interpreting it’s themes on the big screen and is visually stunning. The question of how well we know the ones we are closest to is the most evident in the film, but the notion of how much we change ourselves for others and how long we can do that for is an interesting underlying theme that was not quite legible in the book.

Fincher’s Gone Girl is suspenseful even for those who have read the book, as well as tense and rather unsettling. The score, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, is brilliantly haunting, especially the final piece which resonates with the viewer long after leaving the film. It is wonderfully shot with beautiful silhouettes and extreme close ups to help the audience understand the complexity of the characters.

Rosamund Pike gives the best performance of her career thus far as Amy Dunne. She shows her incredible versatility by showing the many faces of Amy in such a convincing and enthralling way. She is indeed an extremely complex character who is intriguing, but very disturbing. Ben Affleck does well as Nick as his performance is strong and intense. The on screen chemistry between Pike and Affleck calls for something different than the traditional type of chemistry between a two people where you should feel their closeness. It is actually enjoyable to witness and feel their awkwardness and strain. Carrie Coon, who plays Nick’s twin sister Margot, is an absolute stand out and Neil Patrick Harris is out of his element in a great way as Amy’s ex-boyfriend, Desi Collings.

Gone Girl isn’t a romanticised look at marriage, but rather a family thriller which is unsettling as it is entertaining and thrilling.

Rating: 4/5

#Romance Reviews
#Gone Girl
#David Fincher
#Film Reviews
#Thriller Films

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