Movie Review – Gone Girl

Gone Girl Movie PosterOn the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne reports that his wife, Amy, has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick’s portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?

Rating: 9.3/10 (238 votes)
Director: David Fincher
Writer: Gillian Flynn (screenplay), Gillian Flynn (novel)
Stars: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry
Runtime: 149 min
Rated: R
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Released: 03 Oct 2014

Well, this one deserves the hype. Me and Lay went to watch this one last night at the AMC Theater in Brandon. The theater wasn’t packed, but there was a sizable crowd, which was, for a change, reasonably quiet.

David Fincher has crafted, in his clear-cut no-nonsense style, a powerful mystery-thriller that would likely win kudos from Hitchcock. I have never read the book, nor any Gillian Flynn books, but she crafted a great story, and executed the screenplay very well. 

But even with all these elements in place, Gone Girl still wouldn’t work without being anchored by absolutely stellar performances across the board. Pike is at her career best, particularly in the film’s second half, and should find herself positioned as a major contender for this year’s award season. Affleck is no slouch either, being tasked with a lot of the weightier moments and nailing them like a seasoned pro. Affleck expertly plays up Nick’s winning smile and boyish charm, but there’s also an almost uncontrollable rage bubbling just beneath the surface.

Without spoiling any of Gone Girl’s many varied and unexpected twists and turns (this is the type of movie best seen with as little knowledge as possible), this is a movie thriller of the highest order that shouldn’t be watched by those expecting an everyday murder/kidnapping mystery, for what transpires throughout this tale is anything but your run of the mill narrative. I thought I had the movie figured out, and the ending in sight several times, only to be fooled over and over.  One of the most involving movies of recent memories, Gone Girl is bitingly funny, white knuckle tense, starkly violent and as we’ve come to expect from Fincher, quite brilliant. Gone Girl is without question one of the year’s best films, one of the year’s most unique films and one of the films of this year that you can’t dare to miss.

Don’t let the 2 and one-half hour run time scare you away. You will walk out having no clue how long you’ve been in the theater (and go to the restroom before the movie starts).

We’re both rating it very high, but click on the stars to let us know where you rate it.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars (1 votes, average: 9.00 out of 10)
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B. John

Records and Content Management consultant who enjoys good stories and good discussion. I have a great deal of interest in politics, religion, technology, gadgets, food and movies, but I enjoy most any topic. I grew up in Kings Mountain, a small N.C. town, graduated from Appalachian State University and have lived in Atlanta, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Dayton and Tampa since then.

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