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The newest David Fincher movie, “Gone Girl,” is based on a book written by Gillian Flynn. Flynn also wrote the screenplay, which is probably one of the reasons why the movie is so good. It stars Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike and Neil Patrick Harris. This movie gets better the more I think about it. I give it four and a half stars. “Gone Girl” has a 87 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I’m a little surprised it’s not higher, but I can see how some people might not enjoy it.
At the beginning of the film, Amy (Pike) goes missing on the day of her fifth wedding anniversary. As the investigation continues, the town starts to suspect that Nick (Affleck) killed his wife. While details unravel, information about the not so happy marriage gets out to the media, making the townspeople more and more suspicious. The movie takes the audience through the intense investigation and reveals the unbelievable details.
The story is fantastic. I didn’t read the book, and I don’t feel I missed anything by not reading it. However, it makes me wonder what I would have thought about the movie if I had read the book first. I thought the twist was great. I had a feeling the movie would turn in a different direction, but I didn’t know just how much. It definitely makes me think twice about trusting people. The characters were fascinating, and I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen.
Affleck played the role of Nick well. There’s a mixture of innocence and violence that he mixes perfectly to make the viewers unsure whether he killed his wife or not. At certain points, he draws sympathy, and in others, he brings fury. I love the character of Amy even more. Pike did a great job portraying so many different emotions, some real and some fake. She makes the movie absolutely bone-chilling. I also really enjoyed what Carrie Coon did with her role of Margo, Nick’s sister.
I think “Gone Girl” was well directed by Fincher. The lighting, the tone, the music and the setting all came together to really sell the story. He did not shy away from the graphic scenes. Fincher had to show just how far these characters would go in order to get the intended impact on the audience. The whole movie seemed to have a little darker lighting than normal or maybe duller colors. This brought out even more of the dark tone of the plot and characters.
The ending of “Gone Girl” is quite divisive. Some people love it and some hate it. I personally love it. I feel it’s the only ending that works for this interesting story. Nick and Amy are a very unique couple. They challenge each other. They excite and terrify the other, making a complex relationship. Therefore, the ending should be just as complex. Also, the uncertain ending adds to the intensity and draws me in even more. It makes me keep thinking about it.
I had a good feeling I would like this film based on other Fincher movies I’ve seen, which include “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “The Social Network,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Fight Club” and “Se7en.” I saw Affleck in “Argo,” “Extract,” “State of Play,” “He’s Just Not That Into You,” “Smokin’ Aces,” “Jersey Girl,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Dogma,” “Shakespeare in Love,” “Good Will Hunting,” “Chasing Amy” and “Mallrats.” I also enjoyed Pike in “The World’s End,” “Surrogates,” “An Education,” “Fracture” and “Pride & Prejudice.” The work of these three individuals came together well to make a fantastic movie.
