Exciting and Provoking Despite Some Logical Flaws

Rating: 9/10 (18 October 2014)

Gone Girl tells the story about the disappearance of Amy Elliot Dunne (Rosamund Pike) whose husband Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) is suspected of having killed her. Amy vanishes on her fifth wedding anniversary and everything indicates a crime: The furniture in the house is overthrown or broken and the police find traces of wiped off blood on the floor.
Throughout the first half of the movie, the viewer will ask him- or herself steadily if Nick Dunne has something to do with the disappearance of his wife - or if he has even killed her. In flashbacks (based on former diary entries by Amy) Amy informs the viewer about the development of her marriage with Nick. After the first flashbacks it's almost incomprehensible how anyone could think of Nick as his wife's murderer as it's obvious that both of them are in love with each other. But soon daily routine catches up with the happy couple (and their marriage) - and their marriage deteriorates, their luck fades. Nick Dunne seems the perfect suspect: He cheats on his wife, doesn't show much concern and acts suspiciously. Still, the viewer might wonder if he really is a killer or if this might be a too easy answer.
But Gone Girl isn't just a simple whodunit-thriller. It's primarily a movie about marriage. "What have we done to each other", Nick Dunne asks at the beginning of the movie. And this is actually the most interesting subject this movie offers: Seeing how a previously happy marriage plunges into ruin and who is considered the guiltier by others - husband or wife?
Another important issue explored by this movie is medial attraction. Nick Dunne can be considered as a victim of a medial campaign against him, but also uses the media to speak in favor of him. We see how easily media changes its opinion, how easily it can be manipulated.
But when the twist comes out there's another important aspect: women as victims and as culprits. When we learn about Amy's real character and actions we feel deceived. She manipulates her husband, her environment and finally whole America. All this is possible because she knows how - playing the abused victim, pretending a pregnancy and so on. No one would dare to deny anything of that and she is aware of that. We feel forced to believe Amy until she shows her real face. And even when she returns no one wants to investigate the case further, although one of the investigators asks some things that don't really fit into Amy's story.
David Fincher's direction is flawless, he creates (again) a masterfully dark and gloomy atmosphere, especially towards the end. Editing and cinematography are flawless and the soundtrack is thrilling.
The acting is top-notch. Ben Affleck is very good (though not Oscar-worthy) in the role of the suspicious husband. Kim Dickens (playing of the detectives) and Carrie Coon (portraying Nick's sister) are great support while Tyler Perry is surprisingly good as Nick's skilled lawyer. Neil Patrick Harris does also a solid job in one of the creepier roles in this movie.
But the actual scene stealer is certainly Rosamund Pike. She's absolutely riveting and effective as either the innocent and unhappy housewife or the manipulative, psychopathic femme fatale. Her voice expresses both calm and hatred at the same time, her facial expressions are diverse and reach from fear over sadistic satisfaction to pure anger.
As I mentioned in the caption there are - or may be - some logical flaws which, however, result from the fact that some things aren't really explained in the movie. One of those things are Amy's "interactions" with the camera in Desi's house. We don't know if (or how) she erased some of the tapes and even if she did it, it would be dubious why some of the tapes are gone but Amy's simulated scenes are still there. There are more things that aren't completely believable but to me they are forgivable as the movie constructs great tension and suspense, benefits from a great cast and explores several subjects at once during its running time.