Captivating to its core

Rating: 10/10 (24 July 2019)

After seeing this movie I became speechless. The only word that came to my mind was "WOW" but I don't think even that justifies how amazing this movie was. Gone Girl is hands down one of the best thrillers I've ever come across.
David Fincher, known for his previous films like Fight Club, Seven and The Social Network, has masterfully directed this movie. He brings out tension throughout this film like no other filmmaker. The cinematography is top-notch and the screenplay by Gillian Flynn, who also wrote the book, is extremely engrossing. Flynn adds a ton of development to the characters accompanied with many twists and turns which allowed the film to be riveting as well as unpredictable. On a technical level, Gone Girl is perfect.
The acting was superb. Ben Affleck is terrific as the husband. He portrays a great amount of emotion whilst being under media scrutiny in the film. An actor who I was skeptical about, who is in the film, is Tyler Perry due to his filmography consisting of the poorly received Madea films but to my surprise he shouldered his role well. However, the best part of the film is Rosamund Pike who gives the best perfomance of her entire career. Not only is her character so interesting but her portrayal of that character is Oscarworthy. Her dialogue delivery and body language is perfect. I can't envision any other actress playing this role after seeing Pike's performance.
Gone Girl also has a lot of social commentary on the media and the way we perceive them. It's incredible how one headline can change a person's view on someone or how one small detail can be manipulated to make someone look bad. This message, alongside the main story, were done in such a realistic manner that we, as an audience, can relate to and believe what the characters are going through.
All in all, Gone Girl is outstanding. The nail-biting script, Fincher's harrowing direction and the amazing performances by everyone make this film really intense, dark and disturbing. If you're a fan of thrillers or enjoy films as a whole, definitely seek this film out.