Ben Affleck stars as protagonist Nick Dunne in this mystery thriller. Photo credit: Rolling Stone.
Gone Girl, directed by David Flincher and based on the book by Gillian Flynn, came out in theaters on Oct. 3. Its opening weekend raked in an impressive total of $37 million dollars domestically. The movie is a seat-clenching thriller with elements of mystery and drama, and stars some of Hollywood’s most impressive actors, such as Ben Affleck, Tyler Perry, and Neil Patrick Harris.
The movie begins with Nick Dunne (Affleck) about to celebrate his fifth wedding anniversary, when he gets home and finds his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) missing. At the beginning of this investigation, Nick is simply the victim that has lost his wife and is incessantly trying to decipher what has happened to her, but soon his actions and peculiar behavior has the police questioning his innocence.
Dunne is a college professor and blocked writer. Amy’s voice is heard throughout the movie reading this diary that at first starts out portraying this beautiful couple’s romance, but later their love story turns dark and questionable. This narration is weaved with flashbacks of hers and Nick’s life, including their initial meeting.
Three days go by since Amy’s disappearance, spurring the start of a murder investigation and putting Dunne into a media spotlight. At this point, the darkness creeps into the movie as the stories read in Amy’s diary start to show the differences between the two partners. The previously happy couple starts to seem not-so-happy – in fact, fairly dysfunctional. As the movie continues, we see a different side of Nick Dunne that makes us doubt his innocence.
Overall, the film leads to a bold question that echoes throughout the entire theater; how well do people know their partners? The movie is bold, raw and the realistic atmosphere provides a plausible scenario that lines the movie with another layer of fright.
Rated: R
Running time: 149min
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
My rating: 5/5