Whosever side you are on at the end of this film really shows who you are as a person, especially regarding your values in a relationship. David Fincher's Gone Girl is an absolutely astounding thriller that not only pushes on that theme but takes it to the extreme. Based on the novel of the same name and screenplay from Gillian Flynn, this film is an excellent examination of how far is too far when it comes to dealing with toxic relationships. With all of the same style and wit of Fincher injected into every tense scene, this movie will undoubtedly keep you on your toes with every twist and turn that the story may take. Along with a powerful performance from Rosamund Pike and a great but unfortunately fitting performance from Ben Affleck, this movie is one of the greatest thrillers of the modern-day. This is also my favorite Fincher film, as his directorial vision shines through in the most obvious ways, making for quite an exhilarating experience.
Gone Girl follows the relationship and love between Nick (Ben Affleck) and Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike). After five years of marriage, however, the two strong-witted scholars realize that falling for each other might have been a mistake. As Amy disappears one day and Nick half-heartedly tries to get her back, the true motivations behind both of them begin to surface as they engage in a thrilling battle of wits, truly testing the bounds of their relationship. Gillian Flynn's script adapted from her novel is what provides for this film's incredibly well-written and engaging story. Flynn has written two extremely complex characters to inherently face off against each other and while it can often be easier for someone to sympathize with one character over another, it is made plainly clear as to who the audience should be viewing as in the right. Nick's introduction as Amy disappears initially makes him look like the victim in the scenario, but his gradual transition into antagonist is fantastic screenwriting. Hearing from both sides of this relationship was obviously the point of the film and to see what Nick had done to Amy throughout the course of their marriage was infuriating. The treatment of Nick in this film is deserved, as he frankly gets what he has coming for him. It is also such a complex and interesting dynamic that both Amy and Nick are intelligent, clever-minded people. This made for such an exciting game of cat-and-mouse that never lets up or gives the audience time to breathe.
I have honestly never been a huge fan of David Fincher's direction but after a film like this, I can definitely see why his work is so renowned. I love his examination of toxic masculinity in Fight Club and his deconstruction of character in The Social Network, but others like Se7en have never particularly grabbed my interest. I suppose I just haven't been watching the right films because Gone Girl's style paired with its powerful, feminist message is exactly what drew me in from the beginning. Fincher's direction in this film remains astounding while surprising the audience with things that they could have easily figured out for themselves. What I loved most about this element of the movie is that Fincher never tries to throw any massive twists to shock the audience. Every "turn" that this story partakes in is something that the audience could have expected. But with a thriller such as this one, they would typically expect something of that nature to happen. Fincher flawlessly subverts these expectations by revealing this movie as more of a character study rather than building up to a climax. Developing these two lead characters is the most critical part of getting the audience to feel for one or the other and Fincher has done such a concise job of just that.
Fincher's direction has also definitely contributed to the discussion as to whether this film is blatantly misogynistic or rightfully feminist. It can truly be either, whichever way the audience decides to look at it. Depending on your upbringing and how you sympathize with certain gender roles put on either one of them, there could really be two vastly different messages to the story. I do believe that Fincher and Flynn were clearly showing how wrong Nick was in the situation, but this is what I believe makes the story so brilliant: there are two clear sides to the story and even though Amy was proven to be much more meticulously clever than Nick, there is so much background with each to make them so complex. Flynn wrote Amy as the very strong woman that she knew she was and what I love about the script is the fact that she embraces this potentially intimidating characteristic. Not many men are used to seeing strong, female characters in film and this film in particular forces them to re-evaluate those beliefs. Not all women in movies can be the "cool girl" and Fincher/Flynn are here to destroy that notion. Rosamund Pike's performance in this movie is consistently superb and her monologue halfway through paves out her character arc in the most perfect way imaginable. Along with Ben Affleck's solid but revealing performance of Nick, these two leads provide some incredible detail and very characteristic emotions in their unforgettable performances.
From what I have read and experienced on the internet, Gone Girl is quite the divisive film, but Fincher clearly did not mean it to be that way. Nick's transformation from protagonist to antagonist not only paves the way for much discussion about marital issues but makes it obvious who is in the right. Carried also by a wildly talented cast and impactful direction, this movie remains such an important piece of filmmaking. And if I haven't made it clear enough by now, let me reiterate that if you are on Nick's side, you are on the wrong side buddy.
My Rating: ★★★★★
My Rating: ★★★★★
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