Review – Gone Girl

I’ve reached a point where I’ll watch anything David Fincher directs. While so much of what comes out of Hollywood feels the same – watered down, predictable, overly focus grouped – Fincher manages to have an original voice that is worth listening to.

I don’t love all of his films, but I love that he is constantly swinging for the fences, evolving as a filmmaker and pushing himself to make something new and exciting. Even if you don’t love them all, his films are always worth your time.

What’s impressive about Gone Girl is just how carefully Fincher has to thread the needle to make it work. In the hands of a lesser director, the film has the potential to devolve into “Lifetime Original Movie” territory. But the restrained performances from the actors and the haunting score by Trent Reznor help to ground the film and create a world that feels very real, even when outlandish things are happening in it.

The story revolves around a husband and wife, Nick (Ben Affleck) and Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike), who seem from the outside to have a perfect marriage, but that quickly proves to be anything but true.

On their anniversary, Nick returns home to find the coffee table broken and Amy missing. He calls the police, who arrive on the scene and are instantly skeptical about the crime scene, feeling it looks a little too staged. That leads them to suspect Nick, who ends up being just uncertain and cagey enough to fan the flames of their suspicions.

A series of voiceovers (representing diary entries) by Amy gradually start to poke holes in the idea that these two had a perfect relationship. And the film from there becomes part whodunit and part character study on these two flawed individuals.

It also very much reflects the time we are living in, as Amy’s disappearance becomes fodder for cable news stations. We get to see the media circus from the perspective of a grieving husband, who is made out to be the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance. It’s hard not to be sympathetic toward Nick – and to question what it is people are watching when they tune into cable news – as you see the way they twist his every move. It’s easy to forget when you are watching a tragic story on cable news those involved are real people who are suffering and not just characters there for your entertainment. This film does a good job humanizing the people behind the news stories.

The whodunit aspect is equally as compelling. What makes it so much fun is that the answer to that question doesn’t come at the end of the film. Instead, once it is revealed who abducted Amy, that simply creates a whole new conflict that must be resolved.

Affleck is perfectly cast as Nick. He manages to gain the audience’s sympathy, which is key to making the film work, but he is also smarmy enough that you totally understand why he’d be made out to be the villain. He manages to come across as a lovable jerk – someone his family would shake their heads and feel sorry for while outsiders would instantly become suspicious of.

Pike is also quite enjoyable as Amy. I found her to be cold and distant in the early flashback love scenes with Affleck – not quite buying their chemistry – but as the story unfolded, that actually made total sense and seemed like the right choice for the character.

The supporting cast is great as well. Carrie Coon was charming and lovely as Nick’s sister Margo. Tyler Perry was great in a supporting role as Nick’s high powered lawyer Tanner Bolt. And Kim Dickens was absolutely phenomenal as the lead investigator in Amy’s disappearance, Detective Rhonda Boney.

We are entering a barren wasteland of movies – that dark time in between the summer blockbuster season and the Award Season films that come out later in the year. If you are looking for something smart and entertaining to get you through the dark times, I highly recommend this film.

Written by Joel Murphy. If you enjoy his reviews, he also writes a weekly pop culture column called Murphy’s Law, which you can find here. You can contact Joel at murphyslaw@hobotrashcan.com.