Gone Girl

Today's film is called Gone Girl based on the best-selling book by Gillian Flynn (who also wrote the
screenplay) and directed by David Fincher, the man responsible for "Fight Club", "The Social
Network", "Seven" and "Alien 3". There are not many light-hearted films in Fincher's oeuvre and
Gone Girl is no exception. If you want to relax with a feel-good film at the end of a hard day's
work you're out of luck,

Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike as Nick and Amy Elliott-Dunne

Gone Girl stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike as Nick Dunne and Amy Elliott-Dunne, two writers who have returned home to Nick's town because his mother was dying of cancer. They remain there in what is superficially a very happy marriage. However, Nick returns home one day to find evidence of a struggle in the living room and his wife is nowhere to be seen. He calls the police who initially
give him a hard time as a witness but do not take him seriously as a suspect. However, his
behaviour during press conferences and other media events is perceived by others to be eccentric,
even creepy given the circumstances. He is very tense and reserved and speaks only as much as he has to. He also has to contend with a recovered diary of his wife where she writes about serious
mental and physical abuse. The film henceforth is a game of shifting sympathies, both for the
viewing audience in the drama and for the film goers themselves. The third act contains explosive
plot twists and darkly disturbing imagery.

In terms of aesthetics, the film is well and aptly shot. The cinematography is dark with mostly
muted tones, as is most of Fincher's filmography. The performances are spot-on. Affleck is great as
a man that comes across initially as a likeable everyday schlubb who likes a cold beer and a game
of Call of Duty but his likeability fluctuates both on and off camera throughout the film.  Without
giving anything away, Rosamund Pike's performance in the film is powerful and is bound to leave a
deep impression on the film audience. A stand out performance was given by Tyler Perry as Tanner
Bolt, Nick's hotshot lawyer who is stimulated by the seemingly impossible challenge of defending
Nick, a job which boils down to media manipulation and PR. At times he's the comic relief, laughing
at the absurdity of Nick's situation.

Tyler Perry as Tanner Bolt with Nick Dunne in an interrogation scene

The film must also be given credit for grappling with difficult themes like physical and emotional abuse, failed marriages, PR, media distortion and manipulation in a way that is palatable to the average film-goer. The film works both as a serious meditation on these themes and as an effective psychological thriller/horror film.

Some people find the final act too hard to swallow. It's much faster and in-your-face than what was seen previously and is visceral and exploitative. I personally found it to be extremely effective and suitably horrific. The only issue I had with the film is that Nick Dunne does a couple of stupid things in the run up to the trial that any man with an ounce of common sense would not do, like not listening to your shit-hot attorney's advice on how to conduct oneself during an interrogation, but this did not kill the suspension of disbelief for me. Overall, David Fincher and Gillian Flynn succeeded in creating a great adaption of her book but whether it will stand the test of time like Fight Club and The Social Network remains to be seen.