Movie review: Gone Girl an exceptional piece of work

Image source: http://www.buzzfeed.com/adambvary/gone-girl-poster#1orslgj

By Lisa Goudy

It’s easy to think you know what you’re walking into when you see Gone Girl.

You don’t. Not even close.

And this is one of the best parts about the movie. It is certainly a film you don’t want to have spoiled before seeing it. The thriller film lives and thrives on its twists and turns that draw you in, wind you up and keep you guessing for the entire runtime of 149 minutes.

Notwithstanding, the film is a complex thriller based on the 2012 New York Times bestselling novel of the same name by Gillian Flynn. Flynn also wrote the screenplay.

Directed by David Fincher, the premise at first glance seems simple. It is the fifth anniversary of Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) and his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike), a couple living in Missouri.

However, it is on this day that everything changes when Amy goes missing. Furniture is overturned and his wife is nowhere to be found. A search begins and it soon becomes a media circus since she was the inspiration for the Amazing Amy book series, written by her parents.

Police get the sense Nick isn’t sharing everything he knows and the spotlight turns to Nick. Through present-day events and flashbacks through an entry in Amu’s diary, secrets come to light and it’s soon suspected that he might not be innocent. Themes of trust, marriage, the media and perception are deeply explored in this mind-gripping film.

Everything about this film is excellent. All of the acting was fantastic and believable, including the performances of Affleck, Pike, Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry, to name a few.

In many ways, a film like Gone Girl is very difficult to act in just because of the nature of the plot, but the actors pull it off marvelously. This is one of the best performances Pike and Affleck have ever done and, seeing as both actors have shown her talent before, that is truly saying something.

The way Fincher has set up the film, portrayed the scenarios and the way Flynn has adapted her book for the screen, works like a charm. It pulls you along easily from one scene to the next.

With the inclusion of how much time has passed included as a subtitle at the bottom of necessary scenes, it truly feels like a ticking time bomb with so much to discover. This only adds to the overall dark feel of the film.

It’s clear every shot is planned to the tee. With multi-layered characters and a soundtrack that adds to the thrills of the film, it comes off as a big success, touching on deep, dark and twisted themes. Some say the ending spoiled the film or book, but in reality, it adds to the overall feel of the story. At the end of the day, no matter what you think about the ending it pays off as a fantastic movie and can easily be considered as one of the best movies made this year.

The film feels wild and controlled at the same time, which is a deliberate and fitting move for the film. Filled with suspense and shocking, unnerving twists and turns, Gone Girl will leave you with feelings of surprise, chills and a haunting revelation that will stay with you long after the final credits roll.