Gone Girl (2014)

gone-girlIt’s great that such a polished film like “Gone Girl” doesn’t opt for a more safe and Hollywood bound climax where we’ve seen a labyrinth of lies unfold in to a new bow. By the time “Gone Girl” has ended, director David Fincher has written his characters in to a corner, and they’re not at any point going to squirm out of it. I loved “Gone Girl” mainly because it’s a murder mystery without the kind of surprises you’d expect. Our characters are amoral and unlikable, and director Fincher has a keen sense of cynicism toward marriage and how it can be a fiasco that devolves in to a play.

Meanwhile, he also explores the media, sensationalism, and how they both can control our lives in the pursuit for the grab to become a celebrity. Do we really play roles in our marriage? If so, are we the villain or the protagonist? Who among the pair should we care for? Rosamund Pike’s performance as Any Dunne is remarkable, and she dons one of the most convincing villainous roles since Barbara Stanwyck of “Double Indemnity.” She is a brutal seductress who keeps her husband Nick at wit’s end, when she disappears one day. All evidence indicates that she was brutally murdered, and all of the evidence points directly to Nick, who can’t seem to get out of any of the valid accusations thrown his way. A film about sensationalism has every chance to become a lavish thriller, but Fincher keeps the tone very subtle, with a commentary about news bound celebrities and how these scandals eventually become about people playing their own individual roles for the sake of the world.

Whether Nick and Amy realize, their whole fiasco doesn’t just count on crime, or morality, but on how the media will perceive them, and it becomes a contest to see which of the characters can save face in the eyes of the world. Affleck’s performance is top notch, giving room for a lot of wonderful turns including by Tyler Perry as an opportunistic lawyer and Carrie Coon whose chemistry with Affleck as his devoted sister is fantastic. “Gone Girl” is a masterful depiction of a marriage gone awry and how it’s all driven by Amy’s refusal to concede that she spent time working on the wrong man, who is a victim to his flaws and inherent hedonism. “Gone Girl” is very fine Fincher, and a thriller that was just filled with excellent twists.