Gone Girl, 2014.
Directed by David Fincher
Starring Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Carrie Coon, Emily Ratajkowski and Kim Dickens.
SYNOPSIS:
With his wife’s disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it’s suspected that he may not be innocent.
The less you know going into David Fincher’s (Seven, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) Gone Girl, the more you will appreciate the experience. To put that statement into perspective, there are many aspects of Gone Girl that I would love to praise in this review, but can’t because it either involves spoilers or would be a dead giveaway to some critical plot points. What you’ve seen in the trailers mostly consists of just the first 30-45 minutes of the film; yeah, the remaining two hours are full of that many twists and turns.
So instead of divulging the plot into great detail I will simply explain why the movie works, which is quite honestly for reasons not many would expect. Gone Girl constantly wants to keep viewers guessing, meaning that there are shocking new developments in the story roughly every 15 minutes. In doing so though, the narrative often becomes ridiculous and full of events that aren’t very plausible, often involving over-exaggerated characters that go so far it’s hard to see the story as anything but silly.
All of that silliness actually results in a compliment though, as David Fincher and writer Gillian Flynn (who also wrote the novel that the film is adapted from) have a clear vision of a social commentary message that they want to get across regarding modern-day relationships. The fact that the film is as wild as it is only strengthens the importance and ability to resonate audiences with the message. In many ways, Gone Girl is so captivating and full of so much satire, that it could possibly wind up being a relationship test for newer couples. It’s a fantastic movie, but I certainly wouldn’t recommend to a blossoming pair of lovebirds that feel their affection for each other is real and that they make the perfect set of lovers.
Also helping mask the implausibility of many events throughout the film are phenomenal performances from the entire cast, ranging from the major players in Ben Affleck (Argo) and Rosamund Pike (The World’s End), to supporting roles like Tyler Perry’s (Insert crappy Madea movie here) lawyer persona. I never thought I would applaud Tyler Perry if my life depended on it, but David Fincher has once again worked some directorial magic, similar to how he got a great performance out of Justin Timberlake in The Social Network. Neil Patrick Harris (A Million Ways To Die In The West) also has a fairly important role as a creepy stalker that he absolutely nails from both the perspective of line delivery and acting out weird mannerisms. Fincher also wisely collaborates again with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to bring us another subtly chilling score that amplifies the unnerving sensation that permeates almost every scene
Gone Girl isn’t just out to make a statement on relationships though, as the movie consistently attacks the media’s trend of vilifying a person one minute, only to turn around and treat them like a victim the next minute. There are also numerous scenes showcasing just how inept, clueless, and ratings baity some of these reporters can be. At one point our idiotic journalist suggests that Ben Affleck’s character is having an affair with his sister just because they are extremely close to one another. In the context of the film it’s actually quite a funny moment considering that while this movie is completely bananas, it’s clear that the reporter is just stupid and fishing for attention.
And speaking of laugh out loud moments, one more thing viewers aren’t going to expect is that the movie carries a black comedy vibe with it. Pretty much all of the characters in this film are either horrible people or flawed in some way to extreme lengths, that it gets to the point where the filmmakers become self-aware and begin poking fun at the narrative. It all comes back to the fact that the movie is actually quite overblown and more-so about spreading awareness to its message, that the filmmakers are unafraid to embrace the absurdity of their creation.
One glaring flaw with Gone Girl though is its ending, which is definitely going to disappoint some viewers. Without spoiling anything, it’s easy to understand why many will find the finale of the film anti-climactic, especially after having been waiting for a few different outcomes. That doesn’t mean that ending is terrible though, it just is the way it is to fit in with the overall theme of the film. No matter how you slice it though, some will accept why the movie has to end the way it does, while others might actually demand a refund after having palpably witnessed 140 minutes of build-up.
There are also some meatier plot points that will become easy to predict as the movie goes on, but it doesn’t detract from the film as much as you would think because the movie moves at such a rapid pace, by the time you are figure something out the filmmakers themselves are presenting it to you shortly after.
Despite the ending that is going to polarize many, Gone Girl is enthralling from start to finish without a single boring moment. And for a movie that is nearly 2 and a half hours that’s no easy feat to accomplish. David Fincher has directed a film that is both blatantly stupid yet consistently intense to watch because it uses implausibility to fuel its intriguing. crystal clear, overarching social commentary. There really isn’t a thriller quite like it.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder – An aficionado of film, wrestling, and gaming. He currently writes for Flickering Myth, We Got This Covered, and Wrestle Enigma. Follow me on Twitter.
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Originally published October 5, 2014. Updated July 3, 2023.
