Gone Girl, watch it with someone you loath.

Rating: 7/10 (5 November 2014)

In Gone Girl (2014) Nick Dunn (Ben Affleck) comes home on the day of his 5th anniversary to find his wife, Amy (Rosemund Pike) missing. Naturally being the husband of a missing woman, Nick is suspect number one. The police investigators and media begin to dig in for clues as we learn that the picturesque marriage of Nick and Amy is not what it seemed. This film is an excellent pot boiler mystery for fans of the genre. Great edge of your seat entertainment. The movie is based on the book of the same name by Gillian Flynn, who also adapted the screenplay. The story and subject matter raised by Flynn's book says a lot about marriage, current societal morays and the evil nature of mankind. So what better Director than David Fincher, his first film since Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011) given his House of Cards break into television. He reteams with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for the score. A score much more understated and less noticeable than their other collaborations. Ben Affleck is a very solid choice in casting, given his own real life back and forth media love hate relationship; gambling, cheating. He can turn on the charm and shut it down much better than he could earlier in his career. His range as an actor is improving with each film, which is key in a film that requires the viewer not to be sold on his guilt or innocence. Rosmund Pike, is hauntingly beautiful as the wife. I think this role will make the British actress more of a house hold name this side of the pond. The casting for this film had a lot of front runners in pre production; Maura Rooney, Natalie Portman and even Reese Witherspoon who ended up with a production credit. I think with the past roles they have played none of the other actresses could have pulled off the character of Amy as effectively as Pike. They have all played too sweet, that sugar would mess up the recipe for this film.
******SPOILER ALERT, DO NOT READ ON IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE FILM********
I can not help but compare this film to David Fincher's now classic Fight Club (1999). Amy is to Edward Norton's nameless character in Fight Club as Amazing Amy is to Tyler Durden. This novel appeals to the anti establishment, anti hero women secretly want in the same way. Amy's rant in the car about the different types of girls seems similar to Tyler Durden's rants on society with a female perspective. Amy takes on Amazing Amy when her diary begins to narrate her version of the story. Much in the way her parents children's book Amazing Amy was a better version of her. In the end the two halves join back when the blood is washed off and she returns life back to the comfort of her version of a happy home with her husband. Fake a pregnancy, killing a guy all justified in her mind to get her family unit back in order. Much in the way Tyler Durden blows up the bank buildings to get us all back to the comforts of living debt free. I noticed a similar reaction from men leaving the theater after Gone Girl's credits began to role. What?! He stayed with her?! That ending sucks?! Much like the women I noticed leaving the theater scratching their heads at the destruction in the end of Fight Club. We are not so different men and women, we struggle to communicate and that's why most relationships fail. We both have a dark side that can scare and confuse the other and that's what I think Fincher is saying in both films.
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