Gone Girl

Always Another Turn

"I thought writers hated cliches."

            This is just one of the many stand-out lines in Gillian Flynn's unreal script based off her own bestselling novel that can't stop raking in the compliments. Teamed up with the foremost thriller mastermind of his generation, David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac), the two have combined their visions to tell this story of loss, betrayal, and psychosis in the most cliche ways possible. Gone Girl is paranoid from open to close while twisting and turning just when it could not have gone deep enough.

           First things first, the best part about this movie is every bit of evidence showing that is hand-dipped by Fincher. Even having seen this film with a season reader of Flynn's novel, the style stayed true to the book's theme. The brief fades in the opening credits and the abrupt and silent scene changes are all trademarks that will lead you to the edge of your seat without knowing it. The eerie and foggy score that climaxes and drops your jaw envelopes every sense of actually being in the room or next to them on the street corner. There is nonstop mystery and hairpin plot turns that take the audience further and further into this psychological workout.

            Did you know Ben Affleck is in it? Yeah, he sure is. He is Nick Dunne. He owns a bar with his sis Margo (emotional Carrie Coon) and is a former writer who comes home one day to find what seems to be a crime scene.

            Nick met Amy at a party some time ago and then ended up getting married. "Amazing" Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike- Jack Reacher, The World's End) has a trust fund that could rent out Time Square along with the calming voice that trembles with anticipation. She has gone missing now and her kidnapper has left Nick with a mountain of clues. Not the best of clues, though, because it appears he's being framed. Anyway, the whole community and nation is up in arms with the dramatics of the newest missing bombshell. Most importantly, the media can't seem to get enough fun out of making our friend Nick look bad.

            The ever-present Tyler Perry is not very funny in this movie (thank the Lord!) as he watches Nick's every move. Ya know, because that's what good lawyers do best. While he lays down the law, Nick is scrambling for any info he can get his hands on. While his in-laws are little to know help, he resorts to Amy's rocky past with Desi. THE Neil Patrick Harris fully embodies what it means to an ex-boyfriend. Take that however you want but just sit back and watch.

            This thriller is suspense without the stun. The scare is effective and real but shakes you up in a different way. The media plays a suffocating role in the search for Amy and the cliches that are avoided are actually capitalized on. Sometimes that actually works in writing. While this seemed to become slightly drawn out during its 149 minute running time, it surely plays its own role in the frustration that comes with a strained marriage. What does it mean to truly be a fake? Ask David Fincher and he'll give you the real thing. GRADE: 7.9/10