David Fincher is one of the best working directors in Hollywood right now. I cannot think of a movie of his that I did not like. He continually creates great films that offer a nice blend of entertainment and compelling cinema. Gone Girl is no exception, while I do not think it is my favorite of his films, it is definitely one of his best.
All About a Girl
I was very excited to see Ben Affleck’s performance in this film. While I do think he is a great actor, he does not get too many chances to prove it. I found his character very complex, and Affleck pulled it off very well. However, he is not the standout in this film. Rosamund Pike has to be commended for her incredibly committed performance. I will not go into spoilers in this review, but her portrayal of Amy was breathtaking. She took on a role that I have never seen her do, and she exceeded all of my expectations. The rest of the cast, as expected, was great, but I want to pay some attention to Tyler Perry. I may not agree with his directing ability, but he did a great job as Tanner Bolt. I hope to see him take on more of these types of roles. I knew the acting would be excellent, but how was the plot? Well, it was very good. Unfortunately, someone spoiled the twist, and I was not able to experience it to its’ full extent. With that said, I thought the plot was very interesting. I would say my biggest complaint is that the film did occasionally drag on. There were parts towards the middle and the end where the film just kept going on. The ending in particular felt like it should have ended about 10 minutes earlier than it really did.
Amazing Amy
Other than the plot, and the acting, I thought the characters were incredibly interesting. All of them were not one-note characters. They had significant depth, and it is a testament to the actors’ abilities that they were able to pull it off. Other points of the film that are great are the cinematography and score. Both were handled very well, and really added to the films’ mood. The other drawback to the film, other than the passing issues, was the humor. Some parts of the film seemed very awkward. It is hard to put into words, but I think it was just that the film was trying to be satirical, and I did not think it worked very well.
Closing Remarks
This is a very late review, but I would be remiss if I had not reviewed it. This is one of the years best films, and deserves some love from the Oscars.