Another stylistic masterpiece from David Fincher

Rating: 9/10 (2 October 2014)

David Fincher's career has been defined by grim, bleak productions with an underlying dark sense of humour, and 'Gone Girl' is no exception. While not as good as the likes of 'Se7en' and 'Fight Club', 'Gone Girl' is still an excellent production, and up there with the year's best films.
The initial premise of the film is whether Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) has murdered his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike). However, the film takes multiple plot twists and turns, making the matter much more complicated than it initially appears.
The two leads are fantastic, but Pike is the real highlight, flawlessly portraying a woman who has some serious relationship problems to say the least. A potential Best Actress nominee.
Other stand-out performers include Neil Patrick Harris, who takes a rare serious role without any difficulty, as well as Tyler Perry as idiosyncratic defence attorney Tanner Bolt.
'Gone Girl' carries on Fincher's current tradition of a highly polished visual style juxtapositioned with its morbid subject matter, complimented by its crisp editing and cinematography.
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who provided the soundtrack for both 'The Social Network' and 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' are likewise a familiar addition, with the score provided by them being mostly minimalist, yet perfectly tied-in to the on-screen occurrences and the film's grim tone.
As an adaptation of the popular 2012 novel, 'Gone Girl' doesn't disappoint, removing certain elements that are superfluous or unnecessary, yet still strictly sticking to the unique plot structure and maintaining the novel's cynical view of marriage and long-term relationships. It would seem that Fincher and author/screenwriter Gillian Flynn are a match made in cinematic heaven.
Highly-recommended viewing.