A few weeks ago, in my review of ‘Before I Go To Sleep’, I mentioned there was a really well executed twist about halfway through the film and – as good as it was – it created too many plot holes and the film suffered as a result. The exact same thing can be said of ‘Gone Girl’, though it is a superior film before the twist and the plot holes didn’t affect my enjoyment as much during the second part.
Based on a best selling novel by Gillian Flynn, and adapted for the screen by the author, Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike play a seemingly affluent and happy couple, Nick and Amy Dunne. On the morning of their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy disappears from the couple’s home. Soon Nick starts to become suspected of killing his wife… Any further plot description would have me moving into spoiler territory, and this is a film best seen with as little knowledge of the story as possible.
This is a very suspenseful movie, brought to the screen with great style by director David Fincher. Fincher is revered in some circles, and although he has delivered one masterpiece in Zodiac, I generally think he has a slightly inflated reputation. However, Gone Girl can firmly be bracketed amongst his next best films, Seven, and The Social Network.
Affleck and Pike are fine in their roles but the most impressive performances are from the supporting cast: Kim Dickens as the thorough and honest detective investigating the crime; Carrie Coon as Nick’s tough and supportive twin sister; lastly, especially and surprisingly, Tyler Perry as Nick’s smooth lawyer.
This could have been an absolute classic but some of a major character’s actions in the latter part of the film, both being inconsistent with their character and nonsensical when considering their end goal, and an underwritten key character (Desi Collings – Neil Patrick Harris) means the movie stops short of that.
Still a contender for thriller of the year.
Rating 8 out of 10