Gone Girl. She be gone!

Rating: 8/10 (19 October 2014)

I wasn't planning on seeing Gone Girl, but I'm glad I did. For a movie that has a listed running time of 149 minutes – which translates to 3 hours plus of cinema chair buttock time – it engaged for the entire period, with no lulls or 'boring bits'. At its core Gone Girl is a dramatic mystery, although moments of humour and horror are applied to provoke audience reaction – a particular standout moment had everyone in the cinema looking at each other with "damn', did that just happen!" across their eyeballs. You'll know the bit. The situational drama becomes ridiculous and convoluted - but at the same time is entirely believable. To allude to the plot would ruin much of the surprise, but the initial premise of 'girl is missing' is built upon to reveal a far more interesting tale. The polish of the movie should hardly be surprising really – David Fincher (Fight Club, Social Network) continues to direct story adaptations to a very high standard, capturing the ambiance of suburban America and providing a commentary on the role that sensationalised media and the age of instant communication can have in preconceiving instant judgements. Oh yeah, and the circumstances surrounding (some) missing people. The acting performances are delivered very well across the board. Ben Affleck's second coming continues (let's hope it carries on for Batman vs!), but it is Rosamund Pike that really stands out. She has been in a lot of films I've seen recently (A Long Way Down, Hector and the Search for Happiness, What We Did on Our Holiday) with Gone Girl delivering the most complex and complete character performance yet. It wouldn't be surprising to see recognition come awards season. Added to the great direction and quality acting is another grade A theatrical score from Trent Reznor – the electro classical combination creates genuine moments of disquiet and tension at key points as the plot unfolds. So why wasn't I hyped for Gone Girl in the first place? I mean, the movie doesn't really have any faults. Well, it was a case of the trailer judge hitting the hammer and missing the mark. The trailer looks like it tells you the entire story, in what felt like a desperate attempt to garner interest – but that was a very incorrect assessment by myself. If you like good quality drama stories, take the time to watch Gone Girl, it doesn't feel like 3 hours. Note:- if you are watching with a partner, just make sure you are solid before going into this.