Gone Girl is a dark, suspenseful and brilliantly twisty thriller with a sharp satirical edge

Rating: 9/10 (20 February 2015)

I saw Gone Girl back during its theatrical release and I had so many good things to say about it that it became a hard article to write – it's easier to severely criticise something than to steep it in praise. The film really felt like an event, the widespread advertising had roused the interest of many people I knew. The trailer had certainly roused mine, it was an 18 certificate domestic thriller that really compelled me to wonder 'Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?' - I was sure that David Fincher would answer the mystery with his trademark style and vigour.
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' haunting track 'What Have We Done To Each Other?' filled the huge and completely empty auditorium as I walked into it, immediately creating the film's rivetingly dark, aberrant tone. The instrumental continued during the film's opening, which I expected to be another of Fincher's elaborate introduction sequences, but was actually far more understated. Dunne's suburban Missouri neighbourhood is captured in a slick, foreboding manner by cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, who has collaborated with Fincher on Fight Club, The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
The film's first hour is riddled with a very ominous ambiguity. With his insouciant, equable manner, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) appears to be a likable protagonist who is taking his shocking situation perhaps too much in his stride. As new details emerge from the case, however, we begin to wonder whether Nick's nonchalance is a manifestation of a callous, sociopathic mind.
There's not much more I can really say about either character or narrative development, as the film has a great twist. It is perhaps a spoiler to even say that, so I will stop. I was pleased to find that the film is just as good second time round, especially if you're watching it with someone who hasn't seen it, you can experience the film's twists and turns vicariously.
In addition to its excellent plotting is a sharp satirical edge; Gone Girl's satire on the media is far more cutting and resonant than anything in the dull, self-satisfied and heavy-handed Network (1976). Ellen Abbott (Missi Pyle) - the brassy, brash presenter of a Fox News inspired current affairs programme - doesn't wonder about Nick's curiously relaxed behaviour, she declares with absolute certainty that Dunne is a sociopath who has murdered his wife. Abbott obnoxiously raises her voice as she shamelessly peddles bias and hatred to masses of people, inviting 'experts' to falsely corroborate her toxic claims. As the film progresses we see the extent of Abbott and her programme's fickleness and yellow journalism.
As the media circus that literally surrounds Nick gets increasingly hysterical and dangerous, the threat of mob violence seems only moments away until Nick recruits Tanner Bolt (Tyler Perry), an affable and brilliant lawyer. Bolt's relish for challenging situations and unwavering confidence is very comforting for both Nick's and the audience's nerves - Perry gives a great performance as the amusing, quick-witted executive.
To support Cronenweth's attractive photography and the wide, cinematic 2.35:1 format is the aforementioned excellent score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The score is a collection of electronic ambient music that ranges from the peaceful with Sugarstorm and Like Home to the dark and disturbing with What Have We Done To Each Other? and Consummation, which is a sound straight from hell.
Reznor and Ross are very adroit at creating music that perfectly fits and enhances each scene. Reznor gave an interesting insight into the collaborative methods between Ross, Fincher and himself in an interview with Hit Fix –
"We made the decision to make music we felt belonged in that world, not for scenes, not for characters. We absorbed the script, we thought about the space it was in, the feelings involved, then spent a few weeks composing music from an impressionistic point of view, subconsciously almost, to run by David to ask 'Hey, does it feel like it's in the right world?''
This approach was 'right on the money', inspiring Fincher which in turn further inspired Ross and Reznor.
The Academy is routinely criticised for omitting quality films from their nominations and commending works that don't deserve it. I think this year's greatest insult is a Best Picture nod for the comparatively insipid American Sniper over this delightfully warped psychological thriller. They nominated Rosamund Pike for Best Actress at least, but I can't discuss her show-stealing performance here.
93%
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