SYNOPSIS: GONE GIRL – directed by David Fincher and based upon the global bestseller by Gillian Flynn – unearths the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage. On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports that his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick’s portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?producer

REVIEW: This flick’s opening scene is a teasingly ambiguous look of a beautiful blond’s back of the head (Rosamund Pike – Jack Reacher [2012]) on a pillow, her golden locks glistening while the camera pans over to reveal her astonishingly piercing green eyes. This is contrasted with the narrator’s violent words suggesting carnal mutilation to such a beauty. This combination of imagery and vocal verosity poses the question: Who could want to violate a façade so exquisite? This then leads to the desire of one wanting to pore over it, study it for clues as to what’s underneath this husband’s intent with such violent words.

And so, you do get that chance to study this most perplexing “who-done-it” for much of its one hundred and forty-eight minute runtime. The movie is phenomenally gripping, though it does leave one a little queasy whilst dealing with the uncertainty of what to take away on the subject of men, women, marriage, and the possibility of intimacy from the example of such types of messed-up people. Hence, many might agree that this flick is possibly the millennia’s version of and a kin to 1987’s “Fatal Attraction” with Michael Douglas and Glenn Close.

I never ever thought I’d write these words, but Ben Affleck (Argo, 1012) carries this movie and is only rivaled by the beauty and talent of Rosemund Pike. She too is simply terrific. Affleck demonstrates sensitivity, vulnerability and intelligence in this role and allows the audience to entertain a multitude of feelings about his guilt/innocence without giving away too much at any giving point in the story.

Needless to say, Gone Girl weaves a story with twists and turns at every corner that will keep audiences guessing right up to the revelation. And even at that point, some will still ponder what could be the truth. I certainly enjoyed this movie thoroughly from start to finish, though there were a few moments of slow-paced, heavy-dialog scenes. Nevertheless, such moments were overshadowed by the many intriguing plot twists. Four point five stars out of five is well deserved here. Furthermore, this is very much a date movie for theater enjoyment. 

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