As I walked out of “Gone Girl,” two questions formed in my mind, both consisting of one and the same word: “Why?”
I can’t tell you what was behind one of the whys because that would spoil the movie. Suffice to say I questioned the motivations of a major character. Oh, there’s an easy answer, but it doesn’t feel like the right answer.
I can tell you what was behind the other why. “Gone Girl” is a crime thriller in which a woman disappears, and her husband slowly falls under suspicion. We know he’s innocent – this is made clear at the beginning of the movie, so I’m not giving anything away – but watching how the media manipulates the information and hearsay that crosses their desks is fascinating. “Gone Girl” isn’t just a crack crime thriller, it’s a scathing indictment of the media, and of a society eager to lap up whatever the immoral mass media dumps on the ground in front of them.
As the media twists the story of a missing wife for ratings, the public’s opinion sways like a drunk man with his eyes closed. Details slowly emerge and make a case against the husband, Nick, played by Ben Affleck: the marriage was in trouble, there might have been physical abuse, he was having an affair, there were outlandish credit card purchases, and more. I laughed as one sensationalistic reporter implies Nick is involved in an incestuous relationship with his twin sister. “Is this a case of twincest?” she asks the camera.
Why are Americans more interested in outlandish fabrications than the truth? Only the cop investigating the disappearance seems interested in knowing what really happened. Although she’s very good at her job, the media circus ultimately renders her useless.
There’s much to like about “Gone Girl.” The script, adapted by Gillian Flynn from her novel of the same name, is a masterwork. Not only did she fashion a juicy scenario, she somehow tells a coherent story through two unreliable perspectives: the mentally unhinged wife, Amy, and the philandering husband, Nick. The former is out for revenge; the latter wants only to save his own skin. Flynn reveals surprises slowly, and gears her entire script toward a moment so shocking, it silenced the audience, which up until that point had been quite vocal. I love a movie that begins with a destination in mind, and everything that happens carries the story closer to that point. If the script for “Gone Girl” has a flaw, it’s that the third act fizzles slightly.
I can’t imagine a better director for this material than David Fincher. He’s not as showy as he was when helming “Se7en,” “Fight Club,” and “Panic Room,” but scenes are perfectly staged and paced, and each frames delivers precisely what he wants it to.
Fincher’s work with actors was also impeccable. Rosamund Pike had the toughest role as Amy, Nick’s missing wife. Early in the film, she gives off an air of deceit. She’s beautiful and sweet, but she doesn’t seem real; there’s something off about her, like music at a doctor’s office that’s designed to make you feel better but actually unsettles you. The way Pike foreshadows, through her performance, revelations that come later in the film is ingenious. Affleck is also perfect in his role. He’s the butt of a lot of jokes about bad acting, but I think his reputation has more to do with his choice of roles than his abilities as an actor. In roles with meat on the bones, like that of Nick, he’s terrific. Even though Nick is a deeply imperfect human being, Affleck infuses him with sympathy and invests the audience in his plight.
I hope I’ve said enough good things about “Gone Girl” to encourage you to see the film. It’s gripping, satirical, funny, socially aware, and well-made. Like me, you might walk out of the theater with a few questions, but I believe that’s what the filmmakers wanted.
Three-and-a-half stars out of four. Rated R for a scene of bloody violence, some strong sexual content, nudity, and language.