"Deep into that darkness peering..."

Rating: 9/10 (22 October 2014)

David Fincher's latest sleight of hand leaves the viewer spellbound for hours after witnessing this nerve-hitting, raw depiction of a marriage fraught with secrecy. Similarly to Se7en, Fight Club, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl leaves a lasting impression, which is the hallmark of all truly great cinematic performances. The cinematography is captivating, the storytelling is masterful, acting is flawless, and the score sometimes turns into the sort of gut-wrenching throbbing and pounding that not only underscore the scene, but rivet your eyes to the screen and set your heart racing. Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike are both at their best in this picture. They deliver exactly what the audience should expect of a Fincher movie's cast. Rosamund Pike pulls a relentless performance, bringing a cool, otherworldly wife into life on the screen.
Perhaps the only foible of the movie is Neil Patrick Harris. Although his acting is good, he is not on par with the rest of the cast, all of whom perform exceptionally well.
Gone Girl is very nearly a perfect experience that tackles the questions of media abuse, the gullibility of the masses who take everything at face value that comes at them from the TV, and the twisted ups and downs of an intricately irregular, yet hauntingly familiar marriage.
If you fancy an intellectual shudder at something beautifully complex and entertaining, you shouldn't miss Gone Girl.
I give the movie 9 stars out of 10. An instant classic.