Gone Girl

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
 Gone Girl
Released 10/3/14

Adapted from Gillian Flynn’s bestselling novel, director, David Fincher, returns to the mystery thriller genre.  Fincher has directed some of my favorite thrillers of all time in classics like Seven and Fight Club.  At the same time, he’s directed a couple of thrillers that left me flat in The Game and Panic Room.  I’m sure I’m in the minority there, but, I like to buck the norm.   So, I wasn’t sure if I would get "good Fincher" or "bad Fincher" going into Gone Girl.   But, I was more than intrigued by the trailers. 

Our story begins with Nick and Amy Dunne (Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike).  They’re the all-American couple.  Both are very attractive, upwardly mobile people.  He’s an aspiring writer working for a men’s magazine.  She has been the subject of a popular series of children’s books created by her controlling parents since she was a child herself.  After they meet at a party and later marry, their romance appears to be the stuff of storybook legend.  On the surface, that is.

Through a clever rendering of present day and flashback sequences, the audience is introduced to the real relationship between this cover model couple.  Through an unfortunate set of circumstances including Nick being downsized by his employer and the couple moving from New York to his hometown in Missouri to care for his ailing mother, the magic slowly fades. 

On the afternoon of the couple’s fifth wedding anniversary, Nick returns home to find a broken coffee table and his wife missing.  Amidst the manhunt for Amy, the remainder of the first half of the film unfolds from two points of view.  The present depicts Nick struggling against overwhelming public opinion that he has murdered his wife while he vehemently proclaims his innocence.  The other half is told from Amy’s point through diary entries.  As her story unfolds, Nick is painted in a very different light.  He’s moody, aggressive, and volatile.  And, she’s very clearly afraid for her life.  But which version of this story is the truth?  Nick may not be the salt of the Earth he outwardly projects to the world, but is he a killer?  Is Amy really the “poor victim” of Nick’s anger, or is she far more manipulative than anyone has guessed? 

Gone Girl excellently examines dishonesty, the effects the media has on appearances, and the economy’s effects on marriage.  It’s a taut thriller filled with good to great performances, particularly by Rosamund Pike.  In addition to the main characters, Tyler Perry actually gives a more than credible performance outside of one of his Madea roles as Nick’s high-priced, hotshot defense attorney.  Neal Patrick Harris gives a positively creepy performance as Amy’s wealthy first boyfriend who has never gotten over her. 

Gone Girl is really a hard film to describe with any great detail without giving away the punchline, and there are several.  It’s a long movie at 149 minutes, but it did keep me riveted for much of this time.  With nice performances by the cast and an intricate, engrossing plot, you would think this is easily a four-star review, right?  Not quite.

Gone Girl has the trappings of a great movie, but doesn’t quite reach that height for one reason alone.  I’ve said this in previous reviews.  An ending can make or ruin a movie.  You all know that I tend to like endings that dive headlong into the bizarre.  This ending left me flat.  I found myself saying “Whaaaa?” instead of “Wow!”  Sleeping on it for a day, the ending does make a bit of bizarre sense, but, the payoff just isn’t there.  It’s not satisfying given the roller coaster you’ve been riding for 145 minutes.  I thought that maybe Fincher had taken some liberties with the story.  Reading a synopsis of the book on Wikipedia, I can sadly say that he didn’t.  The book ending is just as unsatisfying.  And, it’s not because evil ends up winning.  You also know that doesn’t bother me.  But, I couldn’t help but feel this was a light ending for a film with a heavy theme.

Gone Girl is an entertaining thriller that I won’t say is ruined by its ending, but it is impaired by it.  And, that drops the score significantly.

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

*** stars

Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Good viewing. Much better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. Could possibly foot the price of a non-Matinee.
5 *= Pure eye candy. Hall of Fame material here.