A film that is everything it needed to be

Rating: 8/10 (3 October 2014)

David Fincher has delivered yet another film that doesn't disappoint. I often find myself saying that the trailer is possibly better than the movie in most cases. In this case however, the trailer doesn't do it justice. I knew going in that there would be twists, but I had no idea what to expect.
To be brief: Ben Affleck plays the husband of Rosamund Pike who has gone missing and is presumed dead. Naturally Ben Affleck is the prime suspect. All of this is divulged within the first 15 minutes of the film. What happens after that I'd have to include a spoiler warning for; which I won't do because watching the story unfold is so entertaining. We all think we're pretty good at guessing the twist, or we claim to be. But I promise you this time that most of us will be blindsided by this one. The story is at once, dramatic, shocking, and haunting without going overboard into ridiculousness. What transpires between these people is believable enough even though it's quite shocking. More than that I won't say.
What I will add though is that nearly everything in this film is pitch perfect. I would have preferred a bit more excitement at the very end, but the story ended as it probably would have had these been real people. Aside from that the cinematography is beautiful, the acting top notch (look for Rosamund Pike's Oscar nomination in February), the editing is fantastic, everything is exceptional.
Definitely money well spent. One of the better films I've seen this year.
8 enthusiastic stars********