Film Review – Gone Girl
2 min read
MISSING: Amy Dunne – If found or seen, please call 1-888-FINDAMY.
Right of the bat, Gone Girl kicks off with one of the year’s most compelling opening monologue, instantly transfixing the audience with what’s to come. The film promptly introduces married couple Amy (Rosamund Pike) and Nick (Ben Affleck) Dunne, seemingly flawless and ideal, however the story takes a dramatic turn when Amy is discovered to be missing. With America’s newest sweetheart missing, husband Nick becomes the main suspect. Through both Amy and Nick’s narration, the audience discovers that there is more to the surface of the model suburban American couple.
With films such as The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, David Fincher utilises the same formula for his films – dark and clandestine – emphasising the mysterious circumstances of Amy’s disappearance. In typical Fight Club fashion, the film contained darkly humorous scenes which proved to be immensely entertaining. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross re-team with frequent collaborator Fincher to produced one of year’s most chilling and ominous theatrical score, successful highlighting the suspenseful, unsettling nature of the film.
Based on Gillian Flynn’s 2012 novel, also named Gone Girl, Flynn executes her debut skills as a screenwriter superbly through compelling dialogue, notably Amy and Nick’s unbridled sparring. Fans of Flynn’s novel will appreciate the likeness of the screenplay to the book, strongly demonstrating the realistic struggles of marriage. Gone Girl proves to be an exceptional psychological thriller, challenging the notion of marriage and duplicitious appearances.
One of the most remarkable performances in film certainly goes to Rosamund Pike. Her performance as elegant vixen “Cool Girl” Amy is mesmerising to watch onscreen, convincingly exhibiting her character’s metamorphosis; she is cold, sophisticated, calculating, salacious, manipulative and polished, completely enchanting to watch on screen. Fincher meticulously casted the perfect Amy, helping solidify Pike’s breakout career performance. Pike’s representation of Amy is eye catching and perpetually transforming; further paired with the low, alluring tone of her narration, Pike is unforgettable on screen. Affleck gives a compelling turn as Nick, and together with Pike’s Amy, the two showcase electrifying chemistry
Supporting cast performances were also highly lauded, especially Carrie Coon’s portrayal of Nick’s sardonic twin sister Margo, whose performance accentuated the twistedly humorous tone of the film. Tyler Perry is convincing as highly publicised defence lawyer, Tanner Blot, a nice change of character from his well-known drag character Madea. Similarly, it was refreshing to see Neil Patrick Harris deviate from comedic roles to showcase his wide acting range.
Get ready to be seated for a while – two and a half hours to be exact – as the gripping thriller will keep moviegoers on the edge of their seats, giving the audience a rebellious ending that will leave them satisfyingly mystified.
One thing’s for sure, character’s cannot be trusted and everything is truly not what it seems.
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