Fincher delivers yet again

Rating: 9/10 (19 October 2014)

Gone Girl was a highly anticipated movie for me, solely because I am die-hard Fincher fan. I think that he has created some of the best crime movies of all time; namely Zodiac and Seven. So I went into Gone Girl pretty excited. I am happy to say that the movie did not disappoint.
The trailers led me to believe that this film would be more in the vein of Fincher's pulpier work, such as Panic Room, and I was expecting a well-made murder mystery/ thriller. Really, I got much more than I bargained for.
Gone Girl is a movie that is so dark on the surface, yet strangely hilarious and enjoyable, perhaps only for people with somewhat sick senses of humor. Fincher knows that this story is satirical, and he works wonders by contrasting the ridiculousness of the story with a very mute aesthetic. The aesthetic choices in this movie are not so different from later Fincher movies, with DP Jeff Cronenworth doing wonderful work as usual, and Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross delivering their most detailed score yet. The score compliments the themes of the movie very well, as there are many sweet melodies that are gradually overtaken by dark tones and grinding sounds, and there are some extraordinarily creepy tracks.
Performance wise, the cast is stellar. Affleck, who I have previously been fond of directing-wise but never completely based on acting, hits all the right notes, in a very challenging role. Nick Dunne must be a prick and frankly an idiot as well, and Affleck shows this without losing the support of the audience, a very tricky feat. Likewise, Rosamund Pike is good. I'll leave it at that, because saying any more would give away her wonderful character.
The supporting cast is great, although Neil Patrick Harris was not given a lot to work with, and I feel like the storyline regarding his character, Desi Collins, was not given proper attention, and thus was the low point of the movie.
Many have complained about the plot holes in this movie, but they are really missing the point. Sure, Gone Girl is really plot driven, but it is essentially a satire, and by the end of the film, the plot is secondary to explorations of marriage, relationships, American media, and public representation. Also, Gone Girl is not a sexist film, despite some complaints that it paints women in a bad light. David Fincher is not a misogynist, he is misanthropic, and he paints everyone, male and female, in equally awful lighting.
FIncher's general distaste for people and their behavior is so evident in this movie, and in someone else's hands, this movie would be unlikable and hard to sit through. Luckily, Fincher knows exactly how to balance suspense, humor, pathos, and absurdity. Gone Girl is one of the year's best movies, but because of some uneven subplots, is not perfect, and is also not Fincher's best. However, it is equally entertaining and thought-provoking; a perfect marriage of pulp and art, about a very imperfect marriage of man and woman. Do not bring a date. You have been warned.