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Whenever I see Ben Affleck I can’t help but think back to that classic South Park episode ‘Fat Butt and Pancake Head’ (Season 7, Episode 5, if you must know), where the besotted Affleck says to Cartman’s hand, who is posing as Jennifer Lopez, “I’ve been meaning to write a song or a poem but I have no talent,” It’s not a valid sentiment anymore with such works as The Town and Argo that were directed by he. Gone Girl, the latest David Fincher-directed offering, further hits the point home.
David Fincher is always a sign of quality nowadays with the critical pounding of Alien 3 being a long distant memory. Seven and Fight Club are big favourites of mine. You can tell from the very beginning that this film will be set alongside those greats with the sublime way the first shots are displayed in time to credits that are gone as quick as they appear.
Affleck is Nick Dunne, a journalist turned bar owner. He’s playing the Game Of Life board game with his twin sister Margo in said bar (the excellent Carrie Coon) then comes home on the day of his wife’s anniversary to an empty house. With signs of a struggle he calls the Police straight away and as with most disappearances like this, he is automatically a prime suspect. It would be most unfair of me to divulge anymore information about the plot but take my word for it, you are in for a hell of a ride.
Rosamund Pike plays the missing wife, Amy. I said in a review of her last film I saw, Hector And The Search For Happiness, that she needs a platform where she can be a bit more edgier. It’s David Fincher, not David Lynch who has taken her under his wing and she knocks it out the park. This is a career-defining performance by the Londoner. No more shy, retiring love interest roles for her.
The relationship between the twins of Nick and Margo is another of the many highlights. The frank conversations they have with each other makes it feel like a very realistic relationship and adds a lot of depth to their characters. They may not really look like each other but you could easily believe them to be real life siblings. Margo especially could be the sister you’ve always wanted: a friend and a confidant, someone who looks out for you when you need it.
Gone Girl is classified as a thriller on IMDB but it is also filled with oodles of humour, making it a bit of a black comedy too. You wouldn’t think there would be with the topic of the film and it almost seems inappropriate but it works. I laughed out loud numerous times at the witty dialogue, the satire of the media and in surprise at the exhilarating twists and turns. I must make this clear that the humour is not unintentional, we are not in The Room or Troll 2 territory here. Everyone in this film is at the top of their game.
Special mention must be made of Trent Reznor’s score, which is arresting from the first second of the film, adding another unique tone of quality to the piece and perfectly complementing every scene.
The trailer totally put me off seeing this film. Wife goes missing, another whodunnit, so what? Boring.com. The trailer is a red herring. There’s so much more to this film and everyone 18 and over needs to watch this masterpiece. I’m off to read the book. See ya.
Gone Girl is now showing in Liverpool at Picturehouse at FACT. For more information visit the following link: http://bit.ly/1uSt7Gz