A Suspenseful, Spine-Chilling Insight into a Twisted, Modern Marriage

Rating: 8/10 (26 January 2015)

Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)
Rating: 3.9/5 stars
Suspense, social commentary, a breakout performance from its leading lady, and a seriously twisted outlook - "Gone Girl" is one killer movie. It's also a pitch-black satire of modern marriage, and one of the most unsettling films of the year: The premise is flat-out creepy. Make sure you're game for that before you see it.
Directed by David Fincher and based upon the global bestseller by Gillian Flynn, "Gone Girl" unearths the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage: On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports that his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and growing media frenzy, Nick's portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits, and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife? But there's more to this darkly twisted scenario than meets the eye.
Fincher and Flynn (adapting the screenplay from her own eponymous book) have fun playing with both our expectations and our sympathies. As they peel away layers of their story, a feeling of dread grows; it's like pulling moldy leaves from an artichoke that is rotting from the inside out. With the close-knit psychological ambiance, the film paints American middle class as a blood-curdling, emotional danger zone. It's a testament to David Fincher's skill as a filmmaker that he makes something as complex as "Gone Girl" feel so effortless yet riddled with palpable suspense and spellbinding twists.
Couching its commentary in a propulsive pulp tale, "Gone Girl" is a genre triumph - at once scary and deceptively sly. Dark, clever, twisted, and stylish, this riveting thriller plays to director David Fincher's sick strengths while bringing the best out of its female lead, Rosamund Pike.