Gone Girl (2014) review - Movie Thoughts (Chapter 19) 😈

 Hello everyone,

Today's film showed me something quite profound. I remember when this film came out and I thought a thriller about a missing girlfriend starring Ben Affleck was seriously not for me; was not interested! But it has taken me 6 years to develop a more open mind about genre binaries and I decided to give it a shot. Wowza, I'm glad I did because it was great....

(**disclaimer: the following thoughts are 100% my opinion, you do not have to agree with them - film is inherently subjective and everyone's perspective is valid! Also, there are probably spoilers in the following, read at your own risk. Now onto some thoughts....**)

Source: IMDB

A transformative psychological thriller where everything is not necessarily what it seemed, all-star director David Fincher has once again delivered a tight and powerful story full of layers and emotional intrigue. After his wife disappears on their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) becomes the focus of an intense media circus and is quickly suspected of being anything but innocent. Everything was deliberately constructed in a tension-filled, and at times chilling cycle of events; cloaked in dark, edgy and sexy overtones.

Everything was an equivocation wrapped in deceit and trickery; wrapped snuggly up in the structure of a murder mystery and a retrospective snapshot of marriage lived gleefully on the brink of implosion. Audiences were calmly drip-fed clues and plenty of misdirects to de-lineate an emotionally and logistically complex series of events. In amongst the violence and unhappiness, wife-of-the-moment Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike)’s explosive plan swerved towards something deadlier as audiences realised they had fallen for a simplistic façade. Articulate, vindictive, vengeful and intelligent; the rolling dissection of Amy’s familiarity with manipulation and destructive behaviour fed seesawing tensions and the consequential cat and mouse game; with pieces falling apart and put back together. Music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross was unsettling and kept the heartrate up as an underrated yet vital part of the intrigue and deception at play.

While Gillian Flynn’s screenplay was working hard to cover multiple thematic threads, the commentary on the media circus of criminal cases was a surprising string of reflection. Nick struggled under the pressure and paranoia of being watched and scrutinized, unable to satiate a hungry rolling news cycle. The addition of ‘wife-killer’ lawyer Tanner Bolt (Tyler Perry) and bold news anchors presented a curious and thought-provoking picture of the celebrification of crime; alleged or otherwise.

Although Fincher’s film is laced with intrigue and criminal practices, there is a much simpler and human thematic complex encased in the scrutiny placed on Amy and Nick’s tumultuous relationship. The events that created distance in the relationship were totally normal, yet they’ve been dressed up in a chilling and borderline toxic way. Every couple has their secrets, a notion defined by the opening lines “what are you thinking? How are you feeling? What have we done to each other?”. These questions are never really answered, but reflected back in a dangerous performance game. If Amy is ‘a calculating, murderess psychopath’ then Nick is a disloyal and selfish arsehole – a twisted match made in lust and primal attraction.

The couple were an enigmatic pair of lead characters whose energy, passion and tension elevated the story beyond another flat murder mystery and/or lovers quarrel tale. Pike was an absolute scene stealer as Amy; reserved and calculating, truly hiding the cold underneath a desire to be adored and in control. Pike made Amy feel like the enigma both on-screen and the unavoidable elephant in the room off-screen. Conversely, Affleck’s performance was more by-the-numbers, yet Flynn’s writing was able to elevate his impact to that of being able to keep up with the fast pace and intensity opposite Amy.

Echoes of erotic horror and the shadow of a new twist around every corner, Fincher and Flynn never let audiences get comfortable over the two hours and twenty-nine minute running time. It was a long slog but mystifying and agile in moving between tones. With unreliable narrators everywhere selling a different version of the story at all times and bloody murder in the throes of passion, the creative team never hesitated to jolt and overwhelm audiences’ expectations. A self-assured and compact screenplay from novel author Flynn was incredibly compelling and meticulous director Fincher lent a scrupulous hand, precisely leaving the breadcrumbs behind to trick, shock and ambiguously imply.

A complex array of supporting characters also played a specific role in perpetuating the rollercoaster of emotional tension within Flynn’s screenplay. Detective Rhonda Boney (Kim Dickens) and Officer James Gilpin (Patrick Fugit) were pseudo-audience members trying to put the pieces together. Their importance petered out towards the end, yet their investigation successfully strengthened the initial mystery angle. Twin sister Margot Dunne (Carrie Coon) was a steadfast presence in Nick’s corner, yet ultimately a periphery observer who didn’t understand the emotional hooks Amy and Nick had in one another. Even creepy Desi Collings (Neil Patrick Harris) ended up being used as a wealthy pawn and a gruesome murder victim in order for Amy to finally legitimise her public miracle survivor persona.

Gone Girl was the cinematic embodiment of intensity, tension and clever storytelling. The tragic intricacies of a marriage breakdown cloaked in a psychological thriller with a constantly unravelling and fascinating plot. A tantalizing performance from Rosamund Pike and persuasive script grabbed the audience’s attention and did not let go until the end credits.

9/10, 4.5 STARS

Thanks for reading,

Love and murder mysteries with a twist, Emily 😈