Rating of
3.5/4
From Victim to Villain and Back Again
Chris Kavan - wrote on 10/12/14
One thing I can count on from David Fincher - he's consistent. Consistently great - as a director. From Fight Club to Social Network, no one can quite mix social commentary with a streak of dark humor quite like Fincher. And somehow, he can keep you on the edge of your seat - even if you know the outcome. With Gone Girl, he has done it again, and, if you haven't read the book by Gillian Flynn, do yourself a favor and don't spoil this one - because it's worth it to go into it with as little knowledge as possible. I will try to be as spoiler free as possible in this review.
We start off with Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) heading out for the day to hang out at The Bar (yes - wickedly original name) that he owns with his sister, Margo (Carrie Coon). It seems like today, the fifth anniversary to his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike) he would rather forget. Seems things are a bit rocky at the Dunne household and even since moving from New York to Missouri to care for his (now-deceased) ailing mother, the relationship has soured a bit from the heady, happy days when they were both employed and hadn't fallen into such a rut.
Things go from bad to worse when Nick returns home to find his door open, Amy gone and a broken table. Enter Detective Rhonda Boney (Amy Dickens) a by-the-books cop who wastes no time in ascertaining the situation. Nick is fully cooperative, even as things start to shine a light on him. Soon enough he is hounded by the media non-stop, finds Amy's parents (David Clennon and Lisa Banes) turning against him - along with public sentiment, as secrets are uncovered and he learns some disturbing information about his wife's past. Needless to say, there is a much deeper plot afoot - one long in the making that will have lasting implications on the lives of the people involved.
Gone Girl isn't just about the characters, even though they are greet. Affleck stated that he studied many real life crime cases to play the role of Nick Dunne - especially Scott Peterson - and he nails the part. And Pike is even better as Amy - just when you think you know her character, the film throws in a completely new angle and, needless to say, it gets better with every twist. But the supporting characters are great - even Tyler Perry, a man I thought would forever be ingrained in my mind as "that dude who dresses up to play Madea" is good in his role as a hotshot lawyer known for defending husbands in trouble. Look for Missi Pyle as dead ringer for witch hunt queen Nancy Grace as well as Sela Ward as a top network interviewer (ala Diane Sawyer).
The media plays just a big a role in this film as the characters - and that is where Fincher takes his social commentary. I know - I watch CNN every morning and if there is one thing the media is great at - is jumping the gun. How many times has a person gone from victim to villain or vice versa? Remember how we treated the "Olympic bomber" Richard Jewell? If not - his case is a prime example of how quickly a life can be ruined by media speculation. The media here is always present - TVs are always on in the background - a smile and a selfie become damning evidence and talking heads and online comments spiral out of control. It is fascination and disquieting just how effective the film is at portraying the media.
Aside from that, the story is riveting, although you are sure to see some of the twists in advance, watching how it plays out is a great way to spend the time. The ending may be a bit abrupt, but essentially if gives you an open-ended way to end the story - in your mind, and it can play out in so many different ways. The movie is long, but it moves at a brisk pace. There isn't much outright humor (aside from a few well-placed lines) but the underlying tone is there, dark as it might be.
Gone Girl is one of the better movies of the year, and once again I have Fincher to thank.
