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Gone Girl

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Ben Affleck in Gone Girl (Twentieth Century Fox)
Ben Affleck in Gone Girl (Twentieth Century Fox)
What's it about:

Unearthing the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage, the story begins on the occasion of Nick Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. When he reports that his beautiful wife, Amy, has gone missing, he comes under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy. Nick's portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceit and strange behaviour has everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?

What we thought:

Gone Girl is a sick, dark, twisted thriller and I loved every minute of it. If you haven’t heard about this movie yet, where have you been?

Gone Girl has been all the rage and trust me every bit of praise it has received is worth it. Believe the hype!

Director David Fincher and Gillian Flynn, the author of the bestselling novel of the same name, created a masterpiece filled with dramatic twists, dark humour and brilliant performances.

The film is an exploration of the darker sides within romantic relationships. It lays bare the ugly side of love and marriage after all the pretence and the initial glow is stripped away.  
Like the evolution of a relationship, Nick (Ben Affleck) and Amy’s (Rosamund Pike) story unfolds.

It all seems idyllic; it’s a sunny day in a seemingly rich suburb. On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary Nick returns home to discover that his wife Amy has gone missing.

Throughout the first half of the film there is a constant shift between the past and the present.  Through a series of flashbacks told through Amy’s diary entries the story of their life together unfolds. It chronicles the ups and the downs of their relationship: how they met, Nick’s proposal, their wedding and the early years of their marriage, the loss of their jobs, their big move from the city to suburbia to take care of Nick’s sick mom and her death.

Meanwhile in the present, the search for Amy continues. The hysteria created by the media about the disappearance of a beautiful woman and the predatory way the media creates perception is done to perfection.  We have all seen this time and time again in real life situations.

This is also the point where we as onlookers start forming our own opinions, thinking that we have an idea of the inner workings of other people’s relationships. We decide who we like and pick a side.  

As details emerge and the evidence mounts, it’s not long until we start wondering whether Nick has anything to do with Amy’s disappearance. Besides in these types of situations it is always the husband anyway, right?

Telling you more about the plot would be an injustice so I’ll instead tell you about the brilliant acting.

Ben Affleck totally nailed his portrayal of a smug, shady, douchebag husband. He’s insecure, he’s weak, he’s the type of man that you wish was really guilty of the crime. In an interview Fincher revealed that Ben’s smile landed him the role. There’s a moment in the film where you’ll see exactly what Fincher was talking about.

And while Ben and the rest of the cast are exceptionally good, this is without a doubt the Rosamund Pike show. Her performance has been hailed as a career turning point. Her acting is a masterpiece to behold; the depth to which she portrayed her character is remarkable.

This thriller keeps you on the edge of the seat while it all seems pretty predictable the way the story was crafted - the amazing cast and the exploration of relationships and the things people do within them makes this thriller one of the best films I have seen this year.

Go spend your hard earned money on this movie, you will not be disappointed!
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