The awards season kicks in, at least for the general public, with a bang. Gone Girl is the first big title reaching our theatres this autumn, right after opening the NY Film festival, having avoided the hype-building circuit of bigger events, probably due to the film’s spoiler sensitive nature.
A gripping thriller set against the backdrop of a marriage in crisis, Gillian Flynn adapts her own best-seller, the second most popular in recent times just behind “50 Shades of Grey”, maintaining all the elements needed to translate to the big screen its massive paperback success.
Its screenplay is packed with three different threads, namely the husband’s; his wife’s and the tale of their relationship, each of them underlined by a distinctively different tone, the smooth shifting between which shapes a truly entertaining plot, punctuated by a constant flow of twists and revelations pushing the narrative in multiple, unexpected directions.
Ben Affleck is excellent as Nick Dunne, the all-American; salt of the earth husband whom in the day of their fifth anniversary comes back home to find out his wife has disappeared. His story is told through the solid, classic crime investigation that ensues; where his clumsy handling of the media during the subsequent search for clues promptly gets him in trouble.
A found diary gives way to his wife’s side. The only daughter of a wealthy New York couple; also the inspiration behind her mother’s successful children books, Amazing Amy -former Bond Girl Rosamund Pike in a career-breaking role- whose coldly paced, darkly comic narration reminds us of a Desperate Housewives episode, where the pleasant surface of everyday suburban life is under threat and things are about to descent into a nasty downward spiral fuelled by obsession, vitriol and despair.
The third thread is their marriage’s, from romantic beginnings when they believed they found the perfect soul mate to the challenges life throws their way and they fail to endure. The dramatic account of the disintegration of their marital bond is counterbalanced with an hilarious media satire, as we found out most of the facts through reality TV shows’ thorough scrutiny of their lives; cleverly comparing the roles people play to seduce their partners and keep them happy to those needed to manipulate public opinion through media appearances.
The rest of the cast is equally excellent and, except for Ben Affleck who brings his popularity to a role that needs projecting a sense of the familiar, avoids the obvious A-listers for lesser known stars (Tyler Perry as the celebrity lawyer; Neil Patrick Harris as Amy’s school boyfriend) and recognizable TV faces (The Leftover’s Carrie Coon as Nick’s twin sister; Lost and Sons of Anarchy’s Kim Dickens) which helps keeping things at the necessary level of intrigue. Elsewhere, Trenz Reznor and Atticus Ross, repeating collaboration after The Social Network, have composed a fine and eclectic soundtrack perfectly adapted to the film’s changing tones without feeling invasive at any time.
David Fincher has forged his name by reconciling the often overlooked appeal of the genre movie with the qualities of the prestige film; be it sci-fi (The Strange Case of Benjamin Button) or horror (Seven); sequel (Alien 3) or remake (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), his CV shows a keenness to venture into grounds traditionally dismissed by any director worth its auteur credentials.
In Gone Girl he has crafted a glorious pulpy joyride that perfectly suits those skills. Arguably the most intelligent and accomplished piece of work Hollywood has delivered so far this year and already generating rivers of ink discussing its every aspect, ranging from the intellectual (gender politics; the crisis of the marriage institution) to the trashy (Affleck’s “alleged” full frontal; controversial ending). For those rare earthlings who, like me, haven’t yet read the book, a big threat awaits; as the least you know about it, the more of an impact is certain to cause. ★★★★½
