Courtesy of www.independent.co.uk
Rating: A
Weaving a dark tale revolving around a dysfunctional marriage, David Fincher’s “Gone Girl” brilliantly and unapologetically explores the dismal qualities of human nature and how we tend to be our worst with those we love best.
Fincher never hesitates to depict the characters as broken, selfish and, at times, sadistic; instead, he gleefully guides the story through one sordid scene after another, and rather than alienating audiences, the film transcends shock value and emerges as one of the best films to be released this fall.
Based on an eponymous novel by Gillian Flynn – whose repertoire includes the bleak domestic thrillers “Sharp Objects” and “Dark Places” – “Gone Girl” loses none of its impact in its transition to the big screen. Just as main characters Nick and Amy Dunne are perfect for each other in the most demented way, Flynn and Fincher were meant to be partners-in-crime. With Flynn adapting her own material, her literary prowess is in expert hands with Fincher, whose own impressive films in the genre include 2007’s “Zodiac” and 2011’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”
With Flynn’s superbly written characters and dialogue and Fincher’s omnipotent guidance, the film’s main stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike as Nick and Amy Dunne, respectively, inhabit their roles with such ease that it’s almost unnerving.
At every surprise turn in the plot, the heavy – and sometimes disturbing – source materials never overwhelm the two actors. They both excel with Rosamund Pike being the true revelation.
The film chronicles the whirlwind romance of Nick and Amy from their beginnings as writers in New York City to their slow downfall, both economic and familial, in suburban Missouri. After a few years living unhappily in the Midwest, their relationship begins to disintegrate as both realize marriage isn’t the domestic bliss it ought to be.
Their descent into misery culminates in Amy’s strange disappearance on their anniversary. As Detective Rhonda Boney (Kim Dickens) and Nick try to piece together what happened, a media storm ensues hell-bent on demonizing Nick and accusing him of murder. The plot thickens to a consistency of the muddy Mississippi.
In this, Affleck and Pike flex their acting muscles and trudge diligently through the complex story.
Affleck easily portrays Nick as the aging frat-star he is – showing nonchalance in place of emotion at the loss of his wife. His interactions with his twin Margo (Carrie Coon), his attorney Tanner Bolt (Tyler Perry) and, of course, Amy show his true dimension as a man miserable with his marriage and desperate to regain his youth and prove his innocence.
However, no one in the film comes close to Rosamund Pike’s mesmerizing performance as Amy.
Beginning the film as an elegant, ethereal, trust fund nymph, Pike slowly peels back Amy’s layers as the film progresses, ultimately showing the cold, calculating core her beauty hides. With a single look in her eyes, Pike can make you feel simultaneously threatened and interested like a patch of deadly nightshade. Her screen time with Neil Patrick Harris as her ex, Desi Collings, are some of the best moments of the entire film, filling the audience with a feeling of uncomfortable awe.
“Gone Girl” succeeds because it’s a perfect, cinematic storm.
The forces involved with bringing the story to the big screen are well-seasoned veterans capable of handling such a sordid story with deftness and style. In less adept hands, the film would have surely faltered and possibly failed, devolving into a soap opera mystery.
Instead, the film triumphs on a massive scale. From Flynn to Fincher and Affleck to Pike, everyone involved puts their blood, sweat and tears into creating a mystery thriller easily on par with the hallmarks of Alfred Hitchcock. It’s a spellbinding, dazzling ride from start to finish.
If you don’t make it to theaters to see “Gone Girl,” you’re really missing out. Expect to see this film steal a few nominations during awards season.
