Twists your mind.

Rating: 8/10 (26 October 2014)

Whenever I write these reviews on a movie I've just seen, I always get myself in the mood again by listening to the film's soundtrack as I write. As I sit here right now and the eerie sound of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's score envelops me, I feel unlike myself. I feel not like a person I know. Not like a person at all. It's an unspeakable feeling, one that can only be put into words poorly as I have done. This sensation (which it is a sensation) is just a taste of what this entire movie does to you. Because this isn't a movie that you go and watch, this is a movie where you sit down and become Play-Dough in the hands of the filmmakers. And what they mold you into in the end - well, it's beyond description.
"Gone Girl" is about a wealthy middle-aged man named Nick Dunne, and his wife Amy. Nick returns home from visiting his sister Margo one day to find Amy missing, with signs of a struggle in the living room. Nick, along with Amy's incredibly wealthy parents, begin a search to find where she has disappeared to, as we slowly discover who is responsible for what has happened to Amy Dunne.
"Gone Girl" stars Ben Affleck as Nick and Rosamund Pike as Amy. I have never been fond of Affleck's acting ability and was no more impressed here. Affleck is a good filmmaker, his movies typically turn out well, but I always come away feeling he was the weak point, whether his role was behind or in front of the camera. Rosamund Pike on the other hand was outstanding in this film. Pike has had a bit of an interesting Hollywood story. It has always seemed she was one step away from stardom, but never quite in the spotlight. In my opinion, that is the perfect position for an actor to be in. She has the name to get those larger roles, but the unfamiliarity to get into those parts and make them significantly more believable. That scenario worked perfectly here, and the role of Amy is one of the best female performances I've seen all year. Making up the unlikely supporting cast are Neil Patrick Harris, Carri Coon, Missi Pyle, Kim Dickens, Emily Ratajkowski, and Tyler Perry.
David Fincher is the main man responsible for this film, a director with quite a rap sheet. With credits like "The Social Network," "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," "Fight Club," and "Se7en," it is easy to fathom that this is a film that messes with your mind. I have always had a little personal hate for movies of that kind, not because I think it somehow makes a bad movie, but just because I'm too proud to admit that I was so manipulated. And boy did that happen here. In this two and a half hour movie, I had my beliefs about these characters and the story and I could give concrete defenses for them. Fast forward ten minutes and I have completely flipped sides. After watching this movie, I am confident I would make a lousy politician.
I still don't know how much I like this movie. I've always felt the best films are the ones that create strong characters who by the end of the two hours you know like your best friend. That didn't happen with this movie. The reason it didn't happen is because you were constantly being tricked into believing different things. I didn't like that, but it is undeniable that I completely fell for it. These filmmakers didn't make me believe what I wanted to believe, but they made me believe something. And then they took that, made me doubt it, and then made me believe something else. This film didn't fit the main quota that I'll give for a "good movie," but that wasn't what they were trying to do. They were aiming for something completely different, and they succeeded perfectly.
I always try to keep an open mind with movies, but I often fail. I am positive that there are a lot of people out there, and can even think of a few, who would love this movie. I didn't like the movie, but I loved that these filmmakers are so good at what they do. So as I walked out of the theater, I was wondering if the female worker who handed me my ticket was indeed female, or if David Fincher had tricked me into believing that too.
I give "Gone Girl" an 8.0/10.