For Better or Worse

Rating: 7/10 (18 October 2014)

Gone Girl is a pretty gripping story that tends to carry on too long towards the end of the film. With a run time nearing two and a half hours many will question whether or not this film can keep your attention. I found this the longer run time to be pretty useful, minus the dragging on during the last twenty to thirty minus. With the film dragging at the end and some question decision by some of the characters, it prevents this supposedly Oscar type film from being what it should have been. The following is my review of Gone Girl.
The film was written by Gillian Flynn, who also wrote the novel which this film is based off of. This is her first effort at writing a script. For the record, I want to admit that I did not read the book before I watched this film, so I do not know what exactly is changed by this writer/director team. I heard some things were change, but I never looked into for fear of spoilers. Now onto the story. The story itself is very deep, with some very interesting characters. With a long run time, a film like this desperately needs characters that are deep, and that can be carried for a log ride. The film also throws out a few twists throughout the film. This really brings you into the story, as you do not know what is going to happen next. For the most part the writing and the characters are fine. For the most part. There is a good bit of lazy police and detective work going on during this film. Almost like an episode of Law & Order if you will. There are a few instances where you wonder to yourself if the writer and director are even paying attention to what is going on during filming. These instances bring down what could have been an Oscar winning effort. Gillian Flynn, for the most part delivers a very interesting detective story about a husband trying to help find his missing wife. Even though there are some deeper problems, I don't feel they are big enough to call the film bad.
The film was directed by David Fincher who is known for films such as Se7en, Fight Club, and more recently films like The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I generally felt Fincher delivered a great detective story if you will. He is really a fantastic director, even if I don't enjoy all of his films. Adapting a book to the big screen is often a hard challenge. Having the author of the novel help you out is a key aspect to this film. Fincher excels in keeping our attention for a pretty log run time, with some good twists and turns that are delivered amazingly. As I mention above the film is not without its faults, and at certain times it will leave you wondering if anyone was paying attention on set. Fincher is a fabulous director, but top directors need to catch simple mistakes that he missed. The acting is in fact great. Word before the film was released was that it would be a contender for film of the year, and in turn some acting nominations as well. Ben Affleck delivers a strong and effective performance alongside Rosamund Pike who in my opinion is generally underrated in the acting department. However, in my opinion, Tyler Perry steals the show among the secondary actors. I never enjoyed a movie with Tyler Perry because of the type of films he generally does. However, Perry fits this much more serious role perfectly. Fincher falls short of greatness because of some glaring errors that should have been an easy fix, however the story along with his fabulous directing for the most part still makes this film overall a good film. Just not award winning writing.
The film was scored by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Both have worked with David Fincher on films like The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I generally felt the score was very deep, and compelling. It added some nice depth to the film. I wouldn't consider it to be one of the best of the year, however the effort from Reznor and Ross is pretty good overall. The score is not memorable, but it still adds some much needed depth.
Overall, Gone Girl simply falls flat when you take into account the huge hype it has been receiving. The story unravels in a few areas, like an episode of Law & Order would, but with some fantastic acting and nice shooting by David Fincher, this film is still a good effort overall. Those who like a good detective story will be interested in this film, and those worried about the long run time should put that worrying aside as the film delivers some nice and effective plot twists.
7/10