Gone Girl (2014)
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Gone Girl Movie Review
Gone Girl is a 2014 psychological thriller film directed by David Fincher and starring Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck. It is one of Fincher’s best movies.
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“What are you thinking? How are you feeling?
What have we done to each other? What will we do?“
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With his wife’s disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it’s suspected that he may not be innocent. Based on a famous 2012 Gillian Flynn novel, this movie remains the most renowned adaptation of her work. It was a huge box office hit and it received critical acclaim and rightfully so as it’s one of the greatest thrillers of the 2010s.
This is a psychological thriller in an old-fashioned sense where the pace and tone are clinically cold and the mystery at first engaging, but then we are involved to see the outcome of the story once the movie clearly depicts what happened. Fincher’s choice to tell the story from both Amy’s and Nick’s viewpoints really worked. It impacted negatively on the mystery, but it positively led to better characterization and stronger themes.
Yes, Gone Girl’s not just a thriller, but it has more on its mind than to shock and intrigue with its titillating premise. It twists everything on its head by depicting that women can be just as violent and dangerous as men. Thus, it functioned as a postmodern take on the femme fatale noir pictures of the forties. The movie depicts how difficult it is for men to defend themselves in front of the public with such spousal cases while also showcasing how thirsty the public is for these real life tragedies and mysteries that should not be taken lightly.
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Ben Affleck was well cast in the role of Nick and he gave one of his better performances here. I still do not think he is a great actor, but here he did the best that he could and was believable throughout. Tyler Perry and Carrie Coon made an impression in very minor roles. The standout was obviously Rosamund Pike, who here gave her career-best performance so far. She was incredibly commanding in her presence and ultimately quite unforgettable.
Gone Girl is at its best when it’s focusing on Amy. A cold-blooded, calculating psychopath, she remains one of the best villains in Fincher’s canon and Pike was deliciously conniving and deranged in the role. Her scenes stole the show, though Affleck’s sequences were also excellent as they emphasized effectively the public’s role in these cases and how the media only further makes things worse.
Gone Girl is superbly directed by Fincher, who adapted the story for the big screen so well while infusing it with his own command of visuals, atmosphere and thrills. The atmosphere is consistently dangerous, confounding and incredibly cold, which worked for this storyline so well, resulting in a very engaging, intriguing watch.
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It is a film that has the runtime of two and a half hours, but you never feel that due to the script being superb, dialogue being sophisticated and pacing being just right as it doesn’t rush or prolong the story at any point. The score and cinematography are confident, though far from memorable as the movie could have been a bit more cinematic at the end of the day.
Confidently directed, superbly acted and featuring excellent script and dialogue, Gone Girl ranks among the best features that David Fincher’s directed and one of his most engaging movies. It functions as both a very effective psychological thriller and an insightful commentary about the gender divide, marriage and public opinion. Rosamund Pike was unforgettable as the psychopathic Amy and all of her scenes were scene-stealers.
My Rating – 4.5
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#1. What Oscar nominations did this movie receive?
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