Director David Fincher first made waves with
his 1995 neo-noir thriller "Seven;" noted for its dark and gritty tone, the film was an instant financial and critical success and launched Fincher
into stardom. His later films "Fight Club," "Zodiac," "The
Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Social Network," and
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" have since made him into one of the
most respected directors currently working. Going into 2014, "Gone
Girl" was one of the most anticipated films of the year. People are always
interested in a new Fincher film, plus with the soon to be Batman Ben Affleck
in the starring role, all eyes have been on this movie. Based off the best
selling 2012 model of the same name, the film first premiered at the New York
Film Festival to critical acclaim; with some critics calling it one of the best
films of the year. And after watching it, I couldn't agree more.
The film revolves
around Nick and Amy Dunne, a once happy couple now stuck in a loveless
marriage. On their fifth anniversary, Nick steps out for a bit only to return
and find a peculiar scene; the living room is trashed and Amy is nowhere to be
found. After calling the police and being questioned, it is evident that Nick
no longer cares about his marriage by not being able to answer any questions
about his wife. After a press release, Amy becomes America's sweetheart and a
huge search for her begins. Almost immediately, eyes start to get turned
towards Nick; with half the nation thinking he was the culprit, even the police
department starts to gather substantial evidence against him. Nick becomes
desperate and is willing to do anything to have the finger pointed away from
him. And the deeper the viewer is taken down the rabbit hole, the more insane
the journey gets.
If David Fincher does
one thing right, it would be taking complete control of every movie he works
on, and "Gone Girl" is no different. What many will take away from
this movie would a number of great performances. Ben Affleck, whose acting has
been criticized for a very long time, gives the best performance of his career.
His character Nick isn't the greatest guy in the world, and he plays up that
character perfectly. For some reason, Tyler Perry was given a supporting role
in this movie; I'm not sure what possessed Fincher to hire him, but it was a
stroke of genius. For what may be the first time in his career, Tyler Perry
actually added something to a movie. He did a great job as the slime bag layer,
and I can't see anyone doing as good a job as he did. But of all the
performances in this movie, Rosamund Pike as Amy stole the show. She was
fantastic, and is a serious contender for an Oscar. Everyone in the movie does
a good job, but I will say Neil Patrick Harris is the weakest link of the
bunch. It's not that he does a bad job, it's just he doesn't live up to the
rest of the cast. As stated earlier, this movie is an adaptation of the novel
of the same name; and while I haven't read the book, I have been told it does
it justice. The writing is very intelligent and always keeps you guessing.
There are a few unexpected twists, and on several occasions it made my jaw
drop. The dialog between characters is also witty and sometimes makes you like
these unlikable characters. Like all Fincher movies, "Gone Girl" is
beautiful. The cinematography is fantastic, and Oscar worthy. The best way I
can describe it is atmospheric; and along with the dark tone and great
soundtrack, "Gone Girl" paints a tortured look of modern day America.
I think that of the few complaints that people will have about this movie, the
length may be the most common. This is a long movie, running about two and a
half hours. But despite the length, few movies have ever grabbed my attention
like this one has; at no point, was I uninterested. I also feel that some may
be upset with the ending; it does end a little suddenly and may not be the
ending you want. Personally though, I thought the ending was brilliant. Start
to finish this movie is fantastic, and was everything I was hoping it would be.
Once again, Fincher shows why he's one of the best of all time. This is not a
movie for everyone; it is one for die hard film fans. And of anything those die
hard film fans will be able to agree on, it's that "Gone Girl" is one
of the best movies of the year.
Pros: Ben Affleck gives the performance of his
career, Rosamund Pike gives an Oscar worthy performance, Tyler Perry actually
adds something to a movie, intelligent writing, witty dialog, beautiful
cinematography, great soundtrack, several jaw dropping moments, a few
unexpected twists, captures your attention for the entire run time.
Cons: Neil Patrick Harris is the weakest link, a
bit too long, ending may upset some.
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