Gone Girl Done Well

Rating: 9/10 (4 October 2014)

What a discussion starter. Fincher is back with another mystery thriller and it is an insane success. It has its share of flaws, but nearly everything about it is crafted so well.
From the trailers, a series of questions arise: did Nick Dunne murder his wife, Amy? And from that, the journey begins. Right from the start of the film, I noticed that things are different. As he has been doing for his past few films, Fincher's style has been slightly changing each time. The editing and cutting of this film is quite interesting; it's easy to notice the difference as it's so much more fast paced than usual. It works for the film but I am curious to see if there is a longer director's cut in which the editing is different.
Besides that, much of Fincher's visual and atmospheric style is visible as usual. Beautifully shot and colored, the feel of the film is strange, almost ephemeral, fitting the mysterious tone. Fincher and his team by this point are masters at their craft, and they excel in giving us the right shots to tell the story. Trent Reznor returns to work on the soundtrack (from The Social Network) and once again adds that final, chilling piece to the scenes. Every time a score begins, everything intensifies in an unsettling manner.
Technicalities aside though, the stars of the show surprise in a great way. Ben Affleck plays Nick superbly, providing us so many layers in his character that are revealed one by one as the scenes progress. Still, Rosamund Pike surprisingly takes the spotlight in the best role that I've ever seen her in. Not usually in these types of films, I was impressed with her performance in playing such a delicate and complex character. Along with the help of the writing of the film, these two are so perfectly likable and hate-able at the same time. Simply put, their situation is captivating, and that's where the film succeeds.
The mysteries of this film, as I said before, are discussion starters. Hour by hour, Fincher reveals more and more to the audience. It has nothing to do with surprise twists really, but the content itself is often so shocking and raw that it keeps you hooked and wanting more. That results in the hardest part at the end, not because the ending in itself is bad, but because it leaves me wanting so much more.
Of course, we won't get it. Fincher has left us with an incredible piece of filmmaking, mystery, and questions. Oscar nominations for the cast and the film's technical aspects would not be a surprise. "Gone Girl" comes highly recommended. RATING: [8.7/10]