Les apparences

Wow, actually a thriller that's pretty good. Yes, it's fair to say that 'Gone Girl' is a really engrossing film. As with almost every film, it's based on a book. And, as with most films based on a book, I haven't read the book, so I haven't got a clue how well the film relates to the source material. But then I don't care. I just enjoyed the ride.

'Gone Girl' is one of those films where you don't want to say too much about for fear of giving things away and spoiling it for people who haven't seen it. Ben Affleck plays a (reasonably) decent husband whose well-to-do wife disappears. The media circus that follows then starts to reveal that the truth is far more complicated that it first seems (not to mention the obligatory police investigation). It's fair to say that what follows is a film that twists and turns, so you only really get one chance to watch it and not know what's coming.

Many people don't really like Affleck when it comes to acting (even less now he's due to don the Batsuit!), but I think most people will relate to him as he gets pursued and hounded (unfairly? You'll have to wait and see!) by the media. Rosamund Pike plays his (gone!) wife with a flawless American accent. Again, you'll have to see whether she's found alive or dead. The story bounces around back and forth in time, making sure you're just confused enough never to put too much together before the film's ready to reveal what's happening.

If I had one complaint it's that the film is a little too long. Perhaps ten to fifteen minutes could have been edited out at around the three quarters mark, just to speed it up. But that's a minor gripe. Basically, if you like your thrillers twisty and turny (and have a couple of hours to spare on a film that you really have to concentrate on) give this one a go.

There's no denying that this is a great film and from what I've heard a great book as well, you can see that I gave it a 9/10 rating, but there's a catch especially for me personally with this movie. The shorts version I can tell you and with my hand to God no lie this movie single handedly put the nail in the coffin for my marriage without me even being the wiser. So for as much as I do appreciate the detailed and intriguing story, watching it years later after my divorce it sends chills through my body knowing that my ex wife and I enjoyed this movie together, and obviously me not knowing just how much she loved it but how it inspired her to go about divorcing me in the way that she did, be weary because there are sick people (men and women) in this world that will vindictively assassinate someone else's character and well being just to avenge whatever perversion that they're transfixed on in their own mind. I'm not looking for sympathy or anything, I'm just stating a fact that happened to me, I don't advise watching this for the first time with a love partner, it could unhinge the mind beyond a point of no return, I'm absolutely 100% serious about this, this is not a joke.

David Fincher has done what i thought was the impossible, by making a movie from a book, and it actually being good, i'm even going to say better than the book, and i don't give that out lightly.

First off, the use of sound within the film, both diegetic and nondiegetic really sell this film to me, it does a great job in unnerving us as an audience and its just a little off, if i looked at the score of the film, i wouldn't be surprised if it comprised of tritones (For those who don't know, tritones make music sound just that tad off), and the synth sorta sound reminds me a lot of Alex Forrest's signature tune from "Fatal Attraction (1987), Adrian Lyon"

The Story is fantastic it really shows the disconnect between people in the modern day, and how the media influences everything so strongly.

In Summary this movie is a great watch, and if you enjoy the genre, or just trying to put together pieces of a metaphorical puzzle you will enjoy this movie.

Dark and twisted, David Fincher's stylish new mystery thriller was derived from Gillian Flynn's intriguingly slick tale from her complex and suspenseful novel. By far one of the best acting performances to have come from Ben Affleck, 'Gone Girl' boasts some strong yet disturbing portrayals from Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry and Affleck. Fincher has garnered fame and recognition as a mainstream director, that is not only able to engulf the audience within the picture, but actually make them part of the scenario. Fincher exercises upon his trademarks with the swift and stunning cinematography, the chilling score and tight editing, all of which makes 'Gone Girl' a movie full of great visual storytelling.

Amy and Nick Dunne are young, stylish and charming. The immaculate dream couple? It seems so, at least on the face of it. But infidelity and financial troubles let the glamorous façade crumble. One morning, Amy disappears without a trace, and Nick becomes suspect. Did he kill his wife? The media depict him as an uncaring husband, and he's trying desperately to correct that image. But what if he really is the murderer everyone believes him to be?

"Gone Girl", based on the Gillian Flynn novel of the same name, is a masterful thriller, a sharp-sighted media satire and a cynical analysis of modern marriage. Flynn herself wrote the screenplay for the movie adaptation, and David Fincher turns the already disturbing story into something even darker. "Gone Girl" is a perfect fit for Fincher, as it is concerned with two of his favorite themes: gender issues and modern media. The main topic here is how the media are shaping our own identities. Nick Dunne has to adapt to the expectations of the public in order to survive. As his lawyer Tanner Bolt puts it: "This case is about what people think of you."

Amy and Nick both just play a character. They pretend to be a perfect couple. The movie suggests that pretending and being are not as far apart as we tend to think. When everyone plays along, the shallow masks are going to work. The much-maligned ending underlines this insight perfidiously. It's the point where "Gone Girl" becomes a pitch-black social satire. The last act isn't a thriller anymore, it's a grotesque caricature of modern relationships. I've never seen anything like it, and I can't praise Fincher enough for the risk he took with the last half an hour of this movie.

Ben Affleck is great as the insipid husband Nick. You love to hate him. Rosamund Pike is simply mind-blowing. You'll also see Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry in unusual roles. My personal favorite is Carrie Coon as Nick's caring yet foul-mouthed sister Margo. She's the heart of this movie, because unlike everyone else, she genuinely speaks her mind. Kim Dickens as the clever detective Rhonda Boney is pretty approachable, too.

"Gone Girl" might be Fincher's most splendid masterpiece yet. This movie is so unsettling and cynical, it feels like it was directed by the love child of Alfred Hitchcock and Lars von Trier. If that's not awesome, I don't know what is.