Gone Girl is David Fincher’s new film based on the novel of the same name by Gillian Flynn. The movie follows the story of Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck), whose wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has disappeared. He soon finds himself the most hated man in America as he is being accused of her murder which has him falling down a hole of deception, mystery, and betrayal.
We begin with Nick, whose wife is missing. He has no idea who may have taken his wife and he searches for answers but only finds more questions. Soon he begins to understand what has happened and soon is being blamed and accused of murdering his wife. Which sends him off on a journey to find the truth to who may have murdered his wife. What he finds isn’t what he thought, giving Nick more than he bargained for.
David Fincher is pretty much a master filmmaker at this point, with amazing works under his belt: Fight Club, Social Network, Se7en and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. So one would assume Gone Girl must be an absolutely intriguing masterpiece for Fincher to want to direct and leave his mark on. And technically the film is flawless: The look, feel and talent are all one would expect from a Fincher film. But, unfortunately, that’s where buck stops, leaving the rest of the movie to be painfully boring as you can barely keep your eyes open.
The story, which I’m sure is wonderful to read in a book, just comes across as a daytime soap opera plot that has been done so many times that if at any point in the movie an evil twin shows up, you would not be surprised. The movie bounces back and forth between flashbacks, the present and parallel time. Which is fine, but if you zone out even for a second it’s going to take you a few moments to find your footing again. The movie isn’t all over the place. It’s just presented in such a dull way.
If it wasn’t for the amazing acting being done by the cast lead by Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, this movie would be even more painful than it already is. Affleck and Pike are brilliant and shine in every scene they are in. Each is bringing their A-game. There’s such passion and rage from both of them that they command you watch them and what they’re going to do next as the plot unravels before you.
Not to be left out would be the acting talents of Neil Patrick Harris, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens and Tyler Perry. Each brings something special to their specific roles and carries the weight of their character like a seasoned pro. Especially Carrie Coon as Margo Dunne, Nick’s sister. She has to keep his secrets but also trust her brother no matter how bad things begin to look for him. Coon really captures you in each scene. She would be the most interesting character to watch, but sadly the movie isn’t about her. It’s about Nick and Amy, who at their core are two cliché characters that we we’ve seen done better on daytime TV. If not for the talent of Affleck and Pike, even their characters would have been boring.
Fincher struck it gold last time when he used the amazing talents of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to compose the music for The Social Network. So it was a no-brainer that Fincher would want to work with this team again. But, sometimes, lightning in a bottle cannot strike twice. The music in Gone Girl is so tedious it becomes mind-numbingly annoying. Each beat and whine becomes a reminder that it isn’t The Social Network soundtrack. It lulls you into a state of calm that soon it becomes hard for you to keep your eyes open. If you were already having trouble staying awake due to the boringness of the movie, this music will completely knock you out.
It pains me to see Fincher turn in such a boring film with no creativity or inspiration. Especially from a director who has given such amazing work. His creativeness is even studied at film schools. The look and feel he gives to his movies have encouraged generations of up-and-coming filmmakers. So, to see a movie where it just feels like his heart wasn’t in it is very disappointing. From start to finish you feel nothing, and the movie gives you nothing back, except acting. If it weren’t for the talented cast this would have nothing to look to for enjoyment. Lackluster shots combined with so much dullness makes a two and half hour movie feel like five hours, with nothing to show for it.