{"id":3332,"date":"2014-10-12T05:25:02","date_gmt":"2014-10-12T05:25:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/?p=3332"},"modified":"2014-10-12T05:25:02","modified_gmt":"2014-10-12T05:25:02","slug":"gone-girl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/thriller\/gone-girl\/","title":{"rendered":"Gone Girl ****"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Gone-Girl-2014-film-poster\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Imagine the person you thought you knew best was not that person at all. It\u2019s the perfect screenplay twist to what is essentially wrapped up in a standard missing person\u2019s crime drama. Added to which, this mystery, Gone Girl<\/em>, is directed by none other than Se7en<\/em> director David Fincher, a master of the downbeat, edgy and moody cinematic screen. What fans of the 2012 best-selling Gillian Flynn novel of the same name should know is the author and screenwriter has rewritten the book\u2019s ending, supposedly to better \u2018fit\u2019 to the whole sordid situation. It makes for uncomfortable but engaging viewing.<\/p>\n

After bar owner Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) gets a morning call to say his front door has been left open, he returns home to discover his living room in disarray and his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has vanished. Nick\u2019s world is then turned upside down as her disappearance is investigated and he becomes the prime suspect amid an intense media circus.<\/p>\n

Fincher favours his somber palette throughout, creating a feeling of foreboding before there is anything to feel wary about. We are instantly put in the mindset that the outcome is going to be bleak. The intriguing thing is, there is a mounting suspense within a calm and controlled pace that is brought to fruition by punctuated moments of action. In a sense, it\u2019s contrary to the urgency of finding the missing person. In fact, the \u2018momentum\u2019 is actually provided by the growing media frenzy \u2013 Dunne himself has a rather non-proactive attitude that seems strange considering his spouse is missing. It\u2019s these contradictions that keep things alert.<\/p>\n

Affleck is well cast as Dunne, a tired guy who\u2019s aspirations have long been shattered and the chance of an \u2018easier lifestyle\u2019, downsizing to his hometown from NYC, broken as his ghosts come back to haunt. Affleck delivers \u2018average, ordinary guy\u2019 easily, one with obvious faults so that we can judge then doubt him but also sympathise.<\/p>\n

However, the real surprise delight is Pike. Having read the book, this critic had initial reservations about her in the role; could she convey a satisfactory darker side that the part needed? She has probably delivered one of her finest acting moments, playing with our ingrained perceptions of her capable, likeable personality then taking us down a deeper, darker path as Amy. Being apt at portraying a natural reserve, Pike demonstrates an exciting new niche here for more sinister roles. Her moment of triumph as Amy is actually the very end as we\u2019re still left mesmerized by what could happen next?<\/p>\n

In this regard, the new finale should not disappoint fans \u2013 it could be argued the novel\u2019s ending was too much of a reveal into Amy\u2019s mental state. This one leaves things more ambiguous and threatening.<\/p>\n

Gone Girl<\/em> makes for a perfect screen adaptation as we doubt and redoubt events and character motives. It\u2019s provocative and suggestive but never as dull as any wait to find a loved one would be in reality. You won\u2019t particularly like anybody in this film at the end of it, but you will sympathise with certain elements of their struggle. With Fincher at the helm, the material gets extra malice injected.<\/p>\n

4\/5 stars<\/strong><\/p>\n

By @FilmGazer<\/p>\n

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