Writing a review for Gone Girl without spoiling the film in some way feels nearly impossible. So before I continue, I’d like to take this moment to issue a public service announcement: if you have neither read the book, nor seen the film, do not read this review. Do not read any reviews. Just run, don’t walk, to your nearest cinema when the film opens this week. The film is worth a viewing, and really that’s all you need to know. Though I should note that whatever spoilers are contained are minor, and I will do my best to keep from ruining anything for anyone. But I digress…
Gone Girl is an adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s popular 2012 novel of the same name, with a faithful script helmed by the author herself. Sitting behind the camera is none other than acclaimed director David Fincher, no stranger to adaptations. Most recently, he brought us the English Language remake of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and set the tone in the first two episodes of House of Cards – the US version of 1990 UK series of the same name. And let’s not forget the now classic Fight Club, which to this day remains the most realised and celebrated adaptation of a Chuck Palaniuk novel (though I seemed to be one of the few who enjoyed Choke). Needless to say, the man knows how to deliver vision to the screen. And suffice it to say, he has delivered once again, with the hypnotising, haunting portrayal of a missing wife and the husband who becomes accused of her disappearance.
For those who have read the book, the film may surprise you in its faithfulness, skilfully interweaving the stories told by the husband Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) and wife Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) as they were in the book, in the leadup to and during her disappearance. As the film progresses, we find ourselves doubting the point of views we’re being given – and rightly so, as the film goes on to reveal. Unless you’ve read the book – and I have not – the confusion Fincher creates for the viewer is done with a masters stroke. When you expect it to go one way, it takes you another, and then when you finally figure if out, it takes you further down the rabbit hole than you ever imagined. Of course this is thanks to the source material and Flynn’s elegant script, but Fincher ensures we’re always left guessing, encasing the viewer in tension from the minute the film starts.
The opening credits of the film literally bounce by, set against fast cuts, attacking us like a heartbeat, while Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ minimalist (but typically brilliant) soundtrack sets a haunting and foreboding scene. Our hearts are racing and the film hasn’t even begun. We meet Affleck first, sitting down for a drink with his twin sister, at the bar they own in their hometown. It’s not long before we find out his wife is missing, and a complicated string of events before, after and during the disappearance are told through the voice of Amy for the past and through the eyes of Nick for the present. It’s a roller coaster ride from there on out, with the audience guessing along with everyone around our main character: is he or isn’t he responsible for Amy’s disappearance?
Affleck plays his role with understated intensity, balancing the unhappiness in his marriage as he hides secrets of his own, while facing the world around him like a deer stuck in headlights, only coming out of the light when he’s with his twin sister Margo, played convincingly by Carrie Coon. Telling you too much about Amy will give too much away, but let’s just say that Rosamund Pike delivers a brilliant performance when the screws start coming loose.
Thematically, this sort of film is right up Fincher’s alley, and he approaches the design of the film similarly to how we saw Zodiac – at two hours and twenty minutes, it’s only twenty minutes shorter than the 2007 film. We enjoy similar pacing, Fincher ensuring the most integral scenes are given all the time they need and deserve. But like the original book, we’re not dealing with a conventional narrative here. Fincher’s colour scheme – heavy on the greens as in Fight Club – is also prominent. And the aforementioned soundtrack from frequent collaborators Ross and Reznor serves to keep the tone consistent throughout, be we in the past, present or reeling in the “aftermath”. Within the “aftermath”, Neil Patrick Harris pops up for a brief but great performance, as does Tyler Perry, swapping out Madea’s dress for the Lawyer’s suit – and proving his serious roles are best served as part of the ensemble.
But it is Affleck’s stoic demeanor that holds the film together – and say what you will about the guy, but he delivers when he needs to. And his performance here is compelling from the moment he hits the screen. Since watching the film, it’s something that’s stuck with me. The complicated – dareisay f**ked up – situation serves as a unique take on the modern missing persons story, while the narrative itself serves as something of a “what’s worse: this or THIS” argument that no doubt couples (and just about everyone who sees the film) will find themselves debating for weeks to come.
Gone Girl, no doubt a difficult book to replicate on screen, has been gifted a truly magnificent interpretation, ensuring we’re treated to one of the most suspenseful, compelling and well crafted films of the year.
Film Review: FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Gone Girl is released in Australian cinemas tomorrow, October 2nd.
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