Movie Review - Gone Girl

Gone Girl **** (R) When a crime drama audaciously runs 2 ½ hours, it had better be masterfully written and directed to keep audiences engaged. This one serves as a fine example of justifying its length. One might contend that Gillian Flynn preserved more of her novel in her screenplay adaptation than required, yet the result is still a first-rate suspense flick, with characters and context that remain compelling, even after the primary question of the mystery is answered in midstream.

In voiceovers, Ben Affleck recalls the preceding seven years in which his joyful romance and marriage with Rosamund Pike turned sour, leading up to her sudden disappearance early in the proceedings. Financial stresses and family obligations had forced an unwanted move from Manhattan to his home in rural Missouri. The recession ended their romp among the arty intellectual set, relegating them to the ranks of underemployed/unemployed Heartlanders. They could still live in a nice house, but its resemblance to a home was severely wanting. Affleck’s version of their backstory alternates with her narrated journal entries covering the same times. Hers is a far harsher account of events, including violence from him that made her fearful. The major issue is why did she vanish, with emphasis on whether he killed her?

Pike’s absence fuels a media frenzy, complete with hordes of hovering mikes, minicams and talking heads, spearheaded by rampant Nancy Grace-style (embodied with shrill gusto by Missi Pyle) speculations and prejudgments. Affleck begins as a sympathetic figure until facts gradually emerge that make him look highly suspicious, if not flat-out guilty. After an hour, or so, we learn something that shifts the story’s focus to an even more intriguing thread of suspense without missing a beat. Being more specific would spoil too much of the tale. Suffice it to say that David Fincher’s experience from directing a bevy of fine, complex dramas (Se7en, Fight Club, The Social Network, to name a few), with varying ratios of mental and visceral elements, made him a superb choice for this venture.

Affleck’s underplayed performance rates as one of his better outings. This also may be the best showcase British native Pike has enjoyed, even though many of her mostly supporting roles (An Education, The Libertine, Pride & Prejudice, among others) have received critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. Carrie Coon fares well in her first jump from TV to the big screen as Affleck’s supportive twin sister. The bottom line is that this combination of pacing, plot and performances ands up to a movie that seems laudably shorter than its running time, which is always a good sign. (10/3/14)