GONE GIRL – The Review

Smart, dark, and dangerous, GONE GIRL shows that a contemporary whodunit can still rivet sophisticated modern audiences. Director David Fincher presents a dual storyline that unearths the dirty secrets at the heart of a modern marriage from both sides while spoofing the frenzy of modern tabloid media. Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) is a recently unemployed journalist forced home from New York to Southwest Missouri to take care of his dying mother. When she passes, he opens ‘The Bar’ with his twin sister, Margo (Carrie Coon), which gives him a place to drink in the morning. Amy (Rosamund Pike), once the young inspiration for a popular children’s book character, is Nick’s out-of-his-league wife, a trust-fund princess too good to be trapped in cow-town Missouri (and to add insult to injury, GONE GIRL was filmed in Rush Limbaugh’s hometown!!). On the occasion of their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick reports Amy missing. Under pressure from the police and growing media assault, Nick’s portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble and soon his lies, deceits and strange behavior begin to implicate him. Is Nick a cold-blooded killer who’s murdered his wife, or is there another explanation?

GONE GIRL relies on twists, so I’ll just say the screenplay by Gillian Flynn (from her novel) is watertight, as this type of mystery must be, and the performances are all top-notch. The scenes with Nick professing his innocence at press conferences on his front lawn and TV appearances are highlights. Affleck has always been a less likeable presence than many of his handsome A-list contemporaries. With what Amy calls his “villainous chin”, Nick’s not nearly as smart as he thinks he is and Affleck is perfectly cast. I’ve had it bad for Rosamund Pike since she played Miss Frost in that last Brosnan 007. I’ve watched her ethereal beauty in minor roles since but her revelatory turn in GONE GIRL should push her into A-list territory (and I suspect garner her an Oscar nom), though it’s dangerous to describe the details of her perf without spoiling the film’s tricks. Unknown (at least to me) actress Carrie Coon is outstanding in the meaty role of Nick’s voice-of-reason sister. Tyler Perry, usually a distraction when he’s not wearing a dress, is excellent as Nick’s media-savvy attorney, and check out Missi Pyle as a Nancy Grace clone who, try as she may, still can’t quite nail the repulsiveness that is Nancy Grace. GONE GIRL occasionally borders on trashy melodrama, especially with the introduction of Neil Patrick Harris as Desi Collings, a creepy St. Louis rich boy with his own weird Amy fetish and Trent Reznor’s unconventional score often veers into horror film territory. GONE GIRL is a grim but satisfying crowd-pleaser and if an Oscar-bait tale of murder, betrayal, and deception from David Fincher doesn’t get you out to the theaters, then you’re already dead.

4 of 5 Stars