Gone Girl

A Masterpiece.

This has been my most anticipated movie for at least a year now. David Fincher is my favorite director and this is set and filmed in Missouri which is where I was born, so of course I was very excited. Usually when you are anticipating a movie for so long, the movie is disappointing after all the hype and excitement. Your expectations are so high, and it's usually impossible for the movie to meet those incredibly high expectations. But somehow, Gone Girl not only met my expectations, but far surpassed them.

I'd first like to talk about marketing. They did an amazing job marketing Gone Girl. There have been at least 3 trailers, constant cryptic tweets from the Gone Girl account on Twitter, and multiple tv ads have been released. You would think that with so much marketing that the trailers would tell too much, and you would already know what would happen before you get to the theater. But that is wrong. They did an excellent job of showing new scenes and letting out more info with every trailer, without giving away too much. Since I have seen the trailers so many times, I thought I would know what was coming, and boy do I look like a fool now. Fincher teases the audience with the trailers, letting them think they know it all, and then leaves them speechless as they walk out of the theater. He found a way to rub it into the snobby audience members' faces, including mine. Now, onto the movie.

Without giving too much away, the basic story is that a man's wife disappears and they have to find out what happened. The story is full of twists and turns that completely threw me for a loop. I was completely immersed in the story and could hardly look away from the screen. The story is perfect, and has many layers that leave you thinking and make you want to return to the film to think on them some more. Gillian Flynn has proved herself to be a great writer, not just as a novelist, but as a screenwriter.

The acting in this film is great. There is not one bad performance in this entire movie. Every single person on screen is great. First of all, Ben Affleck is amazing in this. He shows emotions very well in his face, but it is very subtle. He doesn't overact, he doesn't underact. He is perfect in this film. I never really thought that I would be speaking so highly of Ben Affleck's acting, but he deserves it. He truly is amazing in Gone Girl, and I would be lying if I said any different.

Rosamund Pike plays Amy Dunne, and I don't want to give away too much, so I'm just going to say this: Rosamund Pike is phenomenal in this movie. I don't think anyone else could have played her part. She is perfect in this movie and if her performance in Gone Girl isn't Oscar worthy, then I don't know what is.

Of course, as is with any Fincher film, the camerawork in this is fantastic. Jeff Cronenweth really does a great job of bringing darkness to the story through framing, and especially lighting. It still has Fincher's signature green tint, but it isn't quite as noticeable in this movie. But it's still there and it's a reminder from Fincher saying "Hey, this is still my movie. Ok?" The camerawork is beautiful, and Cronenweth definitely deserves an Oscar for his work in this. I can't wait to see it again and analyze the camerawork.

The soundtrack for this film is also amazing. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have made one of the most beautifully atmospheric and memorable scores I've ever heard. In fact, I'm listening to the soundtrack as I am writing this review. It really helps to keep the mood of the movie, hence the reason I'm listening to it while I write this review.

David Fincher has crafted a masterpiece, a piece of art. You can just sense Fincher smirking as you go through the twists and turns of the film. It's like forced hypnotism. Fincher says "I don't care if you like it or not, you will be hypnotized during this film. You won't take your eyes off the screen. And you can't leave until I snap my fingers and the credits roll. Then, you can leave and go back to your lives. But for now, you're in my world." And frankly I love that world. Fincher has proved that he is truly the master of his craft. He can make an amazing movie that will completely mess with you, and you know that he loves it. The film is delightfully dark, and has the Fincher cynicism and dark humor that I've come to love. This film hearkens back to the social commentary and meaning of Fight Club. This isn't just a "mystery movie" this is a Fincher movie. You feel as if Fincher is in the projection room laughing and grinning as the audience oohs and ahhs at whats on screen. I'm sorry that I have talked about Fincher for so long, but it just feels completely like a Fincher film. And I love it.

Gone Girl is perfect. I cannot think of anything that I didn't like about this movie. It is a flawless masterpiece, and it is what I think may be remembered as a classic years from now. Go see Gone Girl right now.
You won't regret it.

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Through the darkness of future past
The magician longs to see
One chants out between two worlds:
Fire walk with me.

I'll add my observations to yours -

Gone Girl, currently sitting at 8.8 on IMDB and 93% on Rotten Tomato is a big hit with critics. Directed by David Fincher, whose resume includes Fight Club and House of Cards, this is a long and laborious, carefully crafted story with one foot in the noir world (it somewhat reminds me of Double Indemnity) and another in that more contemporary genre of media insanity, while also being a police procedural.

Ben Affleck is Nick, a guy whose career isn’t going all that well, comes home and finds that his lovely wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) is gone, apparently kidnapped. There’s no ransom demand, but deliberately constructed clues start turning up. The town turns out to search for the lost wife, and when there is no success, media jackals jump on the story, turning the story into a Jonbenet Ramsey-like media circus with Nick as the villain. Videos are broadcast with Amy’s concerned parents and Nick pleading with the kidnappers. As the days go by, police start to suspect a different sort of foul play, and Nick, the concerned husband, is their focus.

As one would expect in a noir plot, things are not what they seem. Amy is alive and well, out on her own, and laying low, with an a agenda. Nick is revealed to have a secret lover that casts doubt on his credibility and he hires a celebrity lawyer (Tyler Perry) who specializes in defending celebrities in high-profile cases. Amy is revealed to have a background that defies her innocent, lovable image. The police are ready to arrest Nick and his seemingly complicit twin sister. I’d love to say how this ends but it would be a spoiler for a movie that takes its delight in the twists and turns that eventually reveal what has happened.

I liked this movie a lot, although it might be thought to be over-long at 2 1/2 hours. There is a lot of police procedure, and a complex exposition that reveals the story in two parallel time spans, Nick’s and Amy’s. It’s not an easy movie, has a lot of plot twists, has no action, and talks a lot. There’s one very serious, extended blooper that I won’t reveal since it would be a spoiler. I don’t know that I would put it at an 8.8 (in the lofty realm of Casablanca and Citizen Kane), but it’s far more interesting than a lot of what gets on the screen. Acting is excellent, pacing is tense and, if you like this sort of story, it mostly holds together and beats the heck out of another repetitive action movie.

I like your review even if I don't agree with everything you said.

Fincher is more than capable of making a damn fine movie, fact. That said, I don't see Gone Girl as the masterpiece so many people are seeing. It's not top tier Fincher for me, not even close (it's clearly no Se7en or Zodiac), but it's definitely more fun than those films. In fact I think it's the funniest film he has made since Fight Club (so I wasn't surprised when one of the members here was going to a theater which was showing those two films, as they're quite similar in tone)

And I've already said this, but my biggest complaint is the plot itself and how it unravels. Sure, the acting is very good (Rosamund Pike especially), Fincher's direction is first rate, and like you I loved the score. But some of the stuff in the film is just absurd, in other words it has things that would only happen in a movie world. I know it's based on a novel and Fincher did the best he could, but there were times when I thought "okay, I don't buy this".

Long story short, I thought that generally it lacked focus and it felt fabricated at times. It was close to a film for me for about an hour or so, but then it started to explain itself too much. And then flashbacks which sometimes felt out of place. And then twists. And then more twists. But if there is one thing I loved, it's the dark humor. It's very Coenesque like I said in another thread, in fact the more I think about the film, the more I see it as a dark comedy. There are more humorous and amusing moments than there are shocking and disturbing moments.


I rate the film but I'm a very strict rater so that's a thumbs up from me.

I'm still gathering my thoughts. I am certainly findind myself more in the Blue Lion camp. I enjoyed it a lot. Unfortunately as with a lot of thrillers the first half worked way more for me. My suspension of belief slowly dwindled through the second half. I also thought Pike was subpar. I didn't think I would be alone in this but the more I read the more I think I am. Not a good actress in my opinion. Affleck was good as I think he is when he is allowed to be Affleck. Very good movie but not the great one I was hoping for.

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Letterboxd

Since Fincher transcended from "dark gritty director" to an A-list director I now make a point to see all his flicks. I hope it doesnt piss me off like Gone Baby Gone did.

I love Gone Baby Gone but its not Fincher, it is Affleck. If that movie pissed you off I don't know that you will love this.

They're two very different films with very little in common

It's coming out on the 8th of October here in Belgium, so I'll see it then. I definitely can't wait! From what I've heard and read about the mood and atmosphere from the film, this should be my cup of tea.

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Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019

True. I should have asked what pissed him off. I was assuming it was the tone. So Tongo, what pissed you off?

Sorry, you didn't enjoy this movie, LOL!! Wow, I can't remember the last time I read such a glowing review for a film. The trailer I saw for the film made it look really interesting, but your review has piqued my curiosity even more. Well-written review, thanks for sharing.

My review?

BlueLion: I watched Panic Room yesterday and I thought your review suited that quite a lot, a dark comedy disguised as a thriller, lots of funny moments in it.

Anyway, watching this in about half an hour

Panic Room is the only Fincher I haven't seen. Would you recommend it?

Cool, looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

My Gone Girl review

Gone Girl

My personal opinion: No.

It wasn't a bad movie. It's been years since I saw it. It just hasn't stuck with me. I don't feel the desire to watch it again, and when a movie's like that, I say you don't really need to see it. Only reason I'd probably watch it again now is because Jared Leto is in it and Jared Leto has enlarged himself in my mind since I first saw Panic Room.

Lock a lesbian in a bathroom or a closet and pretend she's hiding in a panic room. You'll get the same experience -- probably even a better one.

It's okay. You can see Fincher's ability/craftmanship but there are too many coincidences and things that don't make sense for the film to be taken completely seriously. I give it but it's one of those films that could be lower or higher depending on how you really rate films.

Anyway I saw this yesterday and I thought it was brilliant. BlueLion's thoughts are pretty accurate when explaining the film, which made me think I would like it.

There is so much I want to write, but I really don't want to spoil anything, the less you know, the better. It really is a WTF movie that takes a massive tonal shift halfway through from a thriller to a dark comedy, but I think it works brilliantly, especially as Pike's character slowly develops, leading to one of my favourite dark endings that I can remember.

This is DEFINITELY a dark comedy. BlueLion says its disguised as a thriller, but i'm not sure that's the right word, I think it's half and half, and I think the balance works great. What I will say is that the entire cinema that I saw it with laughed out loud all the way through, especially at the end.

Edit: Here's a review: http://www.movieforums.com/community...81#post1183181

So here are a few of my spoiler thoughts. Things that bothered me and took me out of the film a bit. Keep in mind I ranked this movie a . So in no way do I dislike this movie. I just don't think it is impeccable. Also included are a couple of amended thoughts on Pike's performance.

The three plot holes that bothered me the most ranked from least important to first:

I loved Panic Room but don't remember anything funny about it. JMO.

The book's been on my to read list for too long now. I would like to read it before I see the film.