Gone Girl Review: The Mysterious, Intriguing Movie will Constantly Keep you Second Guessing

Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck shine in a warped plot of murder, mystery and intrigue.

Director:  David Fincher

Starring: Rosamund Pike, Ben Affleck, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Missi Pyle, Casey Wilson, Emily Ratajkowski.

Running Time: 145 mins

Certificate: 18

What is the plot? With his wife’s disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it’s suspected that he may not be innocent.

GONE GIRL derives from Gillian Flynn’s best-selling 2012 novel and whether you are familiar with the plot or not, the film is still gripping and has a multitude of twists and turns.

The story revolves around the disappearance of Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) and the hunt to find her.  Outwardly, Amy’s life looks perfect – she is the beautiful wife of the equally attractive Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) and they look as though they have the ideal life together, but not all is at it seems.

The “Amazing Amy” as named in an extremely successful book written by her parents, left her native New York to be by her husband’s side in Missouri, in act of loyalty and spousal duty, but things started to change – and not for the better. Five years into their marriage, on the very morning of their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy disappears under suspicious circumstances. Her husband is naturally fraught with worry and Nick begins to use the media to help with a campaign to help find her. Despite his heartfelt appeals and desperation, all blame suddenly points to him and he becomes the number one suspect, largely thanks to Amy’s diary entries which tells a tale about their marriage – whether it is in fact a fairytale, remains to be seen.

David Fincher‘s tenth movie will definitely leave the audience questioning themselves and their judgements as GONE GIRL delivers more twists and turns than a roller-coaster. Sympathy turns to suspicion, suspicion turns to blame and from blame to condemnation, but the question is, which of your feelings are correct and should you trust your inner judgement? Set in the style of real life crime on TV, the film is stuffed with mysteries, cliffhangers and very enjoyable performances as the world contemplates Nick’s involvement in Amy’s disappearance and even the police can’t help but change their mind and doubt their judgement as more information develops.

Aside from the gripping and intriguing plot which keeps the audience engaged, the casting of the characters is superb.  Affleck delivers a convincing, charming performance as Nick, showing underneath the good looks, there is bitterness and rage. Pike is utterly superb at conveying a cold, calculated beauty who has a lot more to her than the eye sees.  The duo are brilliantly supported by Neil Patrick Harris, Amy’s former love and Tyler Perry is intriguing as the go-to lawyer for wife-murderers.

The themes of the film are dishonesty, the devious media, and the unhappiness that comes with a troubled economy, but what really stands at the forefront of it all is marriage.  It makes you look at a marriage that went wrong and questions how well you can ever really know another person – especially the one you share your life with. Aside from identity and relationships, the film also shows how the general drawls of everyday life can have a negative impact: work, money, family – how they can completely consume a person and the life they lead with another a la Nick and Amy in the film. 

Verdict

This mysterious, uneasy, intriguing movie will constantly keep you second guessing. It may not portray a positive light on the relationships of today, but you will never look at people close to you in the same way again! 

Gone Girl is in UK cinemas now.

Reviewed by Lisa-Marie Burrows

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