IMDb Top 250 Journey: Gone Girl

Hey folks, another week, another spot down IMDb’s top 250 list. At this rate, we have... only 247 weeks more to go! Yes. I am now realizing this. Damn. I should have given this more thought. Well, I might as well just go ahead get over with this review. Alright, this week it’s David Fincher’s Gone Girl, which was adapted from Gillian Flynn’s best-selling novel of the name. It has a score of 8.2, and sits at #156 on the list.


Immediate thoughts?
 “When I think of my wife, I always think of the back of her head. I picture cracking her lovely skull, unspooling her brain, and trying to get answers.”
That's the opening quote, said by main character Nick Dunne. I'll just let that speak for itself.

Go on... 

Yeah, Gone Girl is a pretty messed-up movie. I could end this review right here, but, that would be a disservice to the movie. It still bears repeating: this movie is  messed-up. Okay, now that we’ve got that out of the way, Gone Girl is quite the movie; It’s smart, suspenseful, superbly acted, and full of dark, shocking moments.

Going in, I had a general idea of what to expect from Gone Girl - all of David Fincher’s past efforts have had a consistent tone, and I’d read a couple of reviews - but I was still sufficiently surprised, and impressed, by the time I was through with it. It has an absolutely riveting first hour, you know, the kind which, delightfully, messes with your brain. The pacing was perfect, and the mystery was intriguing enough that I couldn’t wait to find out what was next. The first hour is gold for those of use who love ourselves a good mystery.

The remaining eighty or so minutes however, is where the movie shows its true colors. It goes from one incredulous moment to the next, effectively unraveling the mystery in what is effectively the sickest way you could imagine. But then, it is very unexpected - which counts a lot. You go into movie, especially a mystery, hoping to be surprised. Maybe some of you saw it coming, but I was shocked by the movie’s final act. Extremely shocked. Thankfully, I might add, it’s not the neat, overly smart solution we usually get from most mysteries. Why thankfully? Because more often than not, that kind of solution is usually anti-climatic, and rarely ever satisfying. Gone Girl goes for shock-value instead, and it left me satisfied with the outcome. Not an outcome I liked, but one that was satisfying. That for me is major plus.

Surprisingly, I didn’t really find anything wrong with Gone Girl. Though it’s definitely not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, and I’ve emphasized why enough, it hits all the high marks of a good mystery, just that it leans more towards the dark side than most.   

But was it well made?
Like the other two movies we’ve covered thus far, Gone Girl was excellently executed. It’s standout qualities were its style and atmosphere. Boy did they nail the movie’s atmosphere. Trent Reznor and Aticus Ross deserved at least an oscar nomination for their music. I mean, in any movie which aims for a unique atmosphere, the music is always a make-or-break affair. And their score was make; perfectly haunting, but also different enough that it did not sound like the usual ones you find in other movies of similar tones. It’s an injustice that they did not get that nomination. Damned academy. Moving on... David Fincher's influence on the movie was typically very obvious - a desirable result considering it's Fincher, because he oozes style. The crew also got nothing wrong with the movie’s execution; It's just a showcase of masterclass film-making.

 

Final thoughts  

Suspense/Mystery is one of the more difficult genres to successfully function in, but Fincher shows us how it’s done with Gone Girl. It’s also as close to a perfectly executed movie as you’ll find out there, with noteworthy performances from a stellar cast, and a great script. However, I don’t believe it deserves a spot on the list, the reason being I can’t find anything particularly outstanding about it. It’s just a very well executed movie from a brilliant director. Honestly, I'd rather see 'The Social Network', also directed by Fincher, take Gone Girl's place on the list.

 

My Score : 8-

Next week, we’re on to the Imitation Game. Do you think Gone Girl deserves a spot on the list? As usual let’s hear your thoughts and scores.