A Masterclass in Psychological Thriller Cinema
Director: David Fincher
Screenplay: Gillian Flynn (based on her 2012 novel)
Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Carrie Coon
Gone Girl is certainly one of the more gripping psychological thrillers of the genre. An investigative tale into the marriage entwined with the dark side of humanity, media, and marketing itself. The film has a uniquely sharp screenplay by Flynn, who also happens to be the source novelist, balls to the wall cinematography, and career-defining film performance in Pike’s case. The film, truth be told, hooks the audience at the edge of their seats until the credits roll.
Plot Summary (Spoiler-Free)
On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Afleck) realizes that Amy Dunne, his wife, has gone missing. During his investigation, Nick seems to become the prime suspect, and because of the media frenzy surrounding the whole case he is seen as an unfaithful and dangerous husband. However, as more events unfold, one can see that the truth about Amy greatly exceeds her disappearance.
Main Concepts Elaborated & Themes Depicted
Marriage At Its Core
Essentially, Gone Girl is a deep, dark *, satire on marriage, showcasing how couples idealize each other instead of showcasing their complete selves. The film delves into the idea of maintaining a perfect relationship and the outcomes that ensue when it crashes down.
Exaggeration in Mistreatment
Fincher reproaches the media for taking advantage of tragedies to manufacture entertainment and shaping public perception to serve a narrative that is detrimental to the society. This story highlights how easily stories can be manufactured with Nick being hated for circumstantial “evidence” and “facts”.
Breaking Your Own Narrative.
Amy is the personification of being able to self control one’s narrative. She repeatedly transforms herself throughout the movie showing that identity can serve as power, manipulation, and revenge.
During the film, Rosamund Pike (Amy Dunne) casted as the cunning and Uber manipulative Amy receives an Oscar Award for playing this character who murdered her husband. She performed so well that it makes a career best performance out of her.
Ben Affleck (Nick Dunne) tortured the character of Nick which served as the most relatable out of all the characters in the movie reinforcing the assertion that he is the real victim of the story.
Carrie Coon (Margo Dunne) nick’s sister who plays the hyped twin sister offers Nick calmness that he desperately needs.
Neil Patrick Harris (Desi Collings) – Disturbing casting was done for the role of Amy’s stalker ex-boyfriend who shows more than normal obsession towards her.
Tyler Perry (Tanner Bolt) – Impressive work done for the role of Nick’s ace attorney on record.
Critical Reception
Rotten Tomatoes: 87% (Critics) | 87% (Audience)
Metacritic: 79/100
Box Office: Over $369 million worldwide on a $61 million budget
This film was one of the few which was critically acclaimed and was a box office success alongside acclaim for the novel. Critics were especially impressed by the direction, score and stylized screenplay. Particularly, Rosamund Pike’s performance received accolades for the way she explored the character’s dark complexity.
Behind the Scenes & Production Notes
David Fincher’s direction was obsessive and tedious yet offered strong results. He, like many directors, has a reputation for doing tons of takes to get very specific shots which leads to deeply layered performances.
Gillian Flynn’s screenplay adaptation – Unlike many book to film adaptations, Flynn adapted the novel herself which ensured a balance between the original story and cinematic experience.
Ben Affleck’s casting choice – Affleck’s history of negative media attention, like the character picking Nick, made him an ideal candidate for the role in Fincher’s eyes.
The “Cool Girl” monologue – This sequence of the film is the most striking and memorable and has attracted much attention for the social commentary on gender roles.
Should You Watch It?
Not only did Gone Girl provide stunning imagery and masterful storytelling, but it was also filled with plot twists that are arguably some of the most unsettling and mind-blowing hoopla. Not only was the film dark and stylish, it possessed a complex psychological depth like Se7en, Zodiac, and Prisoners. The film’s impressive enigmatical nuance makes it worthy of a watch.