Dark, twisted, gleeful fun, which leaves you food for thought

Rating: 9/10 (29 October 2014)

How does one discuss a movie that is essentially a minefield of spoilers? It is the case with most thrillers that we do not reveal its big twists and turns, but in the case of 'Gone Girl', talking about anything beyond the setup could ruin it! You want to make a point about something that feels so insignificant to you, only to catch yourself, realising you're about to tarnish it for the uninitiated, for whom every "little" thing is going to seem pretty huge. Still, I'll give a shot.
Nick Dunne arrives home on his fifth wedding anniversary to find his wife Amy missing, with signs of a a violent struggle the only truly concerning clue as to what may have happened. The investigation starts out normally enough, but as the news frenzy begins and media-unfriendly Nick's response is put under the microscope, he finds himself many people's number one suspect. We assume we have seen this setup before, and we think it is going to simply be a case of did he, didn't he? We might even start to make up our own minds. And then 'Gone Girl' pulls out some unexpected guns, twisting and morphing as it goes, from domestic drama through thriller to twisted satire, playing games of which Hitchcock may have been jealous (there are more than a few shades of 'Vertigo' and 'Strangers On A Train' here).
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross return for a third collaboration with director David Fincher. Their score slips by almost unnoticed to begin with; it is a gentle, calm serenade. Then, as author Gillian Flynn's tale reveals itself to be one in which nothing is as it seems, their music rots from the inside out, moving from barely noted serenity to unmissable static and electronic crunching, poisoning the scenes with further tension. I don't know that it has the same uncomfortable power as 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo', but it is nevertheless precisely what the film needs.
Fincher is now famous for his precise eye, making every frame a painting, and here there is no exception. His dedicated fans will note a lack off flash in the first 90 minutes or so, with the director allowing the story and characters to calmly take the lead; or course we recognise this is intentional. Wait for the final hour and you'll see the man who made 'Panic Room' let rip! Film students would have a great time examining the change; all aesthetics here serve the story. It is fair to say it is a little too long for its own good; certainly there is trimming that could be performed at the front end of the film, but once it gets into the right gear, it really does not loosen its grip.
Ben Affleck has taken a lot of flack in the past, and perhaps this puts him in a perfect spot to play Nick, the everyman who is long passed the point of even trying to be perfect, and now suffering a quite unforgiving public scrutiny. England's own Rosamund Pike plays his "Amazing Amy", the cool girl who secretly knows she never quite lived up to the character her parents modelled after her, forging a lucrative book series. Pike may well win a Best Actress Oscar and that is all you need to know. There are other notable turns in the film, but one that has not been praised quite enough is Carrie Coon, playing Margo, Nick's sometimes suffering sister. If anything, she doesn't have enough screen time to develop as much as you would like to see; her performance is riveting and I would have liked more of the chemistry she brought. Tyler Perry and Neil Patrick Harris both surprise with the material they have, although in both cases, more character meat would have been welcome.
Those who have already read the book by the time they see 'Gone Girl' will be pleasantly surprised by just how loyal screenwriter Flynn is to her own novel, and many, like me, may also be happy to see that the final act, somewhat tough to buy on the page, becomes a different animal under David Fincher's careful direction. His gear shifts are so clear and concise, the viewer is in little doubt about the terrain of each act, and the final section of the movie takes what was, for me, a questionable set of circumstances and character motivations, and then turns them into something altogether more dark, chilling and bitingly satirical; in this context, it somehow just works better! Those who might raise questions about elements I cannot mention here (this is getting silly!), or the "unsatisfying nature of the finale" may have missed one of the various points the story is out to make. They might also do well to remember that David Fincher has a penchant for the atypical, non-Hollywood ending; if 'Se7en', 'Zodiac' and 'The Social Network' left you pining for endings that were more "Hollywood hero", climactic and conclusive respectively...then perhaps 'Gone Girl' isn't for you either. You are warned.
I did consider what it would have been like had I NOT read the book beforehand and came to this conclusion: You get to experience this story once fully, and after that once, it will never have the same impact. If you choose to read it first, you will admire the movie's smarts; if you choose to watch the film first, you are likely to have one of the most gleefully discombobulating cinema experiences you'll have had for a long time! Of course, I wish I could say more, but as you know, I can't. Bottom line is this: Love or hate Fincher, there is no questioning his craft or the fact this is one of his best moments. Whether you love or hate 'Gone Girl', there is no denying it is one of the most audacious, carefully crafted, if not, in your opinion, best films of the year.