Gone Girl trailor
The screenplay was by Gillian Flynn who also wrote the novel by the same name. It's my understanding that Ms. Flynn changed the movie's ending—bad idea. My only criticism of "Gone Girl" is the last ten minutes of the film. This is especially painful since the other 139 minutes was truly well-written, complicated and suspenseful.
Flynn's basic story is centered on her main character Nick (Ben Affleck, 42) who is suspected of murdering his wife after she has gone missing. The local cops are convinced that the husband did it and soon the national media joins the circus, and we have a "did Scott Peterson kill his pregnant wife?" scenario. Don't let that comparison blind you to this unique story, but you will see the Peterson vibe, and I heard Affleck explain that he patterned his character, in part, on Scott Peterson.
Nick's wife Amy, the Gone Girl, is beautifully portrayed by Rosamund Pike, 35. Pike brings an appropriate sumptuous sultriness a la Kathleen Turner's Matty Walker in Body Heat (1981) to the screen for her rendition of the multi-layered Amy Dunne. Affleck and Pike are perfect for their roles. Critics always say that when the acting is brilliant and the writing is entertaining.
Other than her blunder at the end, Flynn kept me on the edge of my seat. You will not get sleepy during this flick. Director David "The Social Network" Fincher made sure the audience had enough information to make an educated guess at the next scene, but was pleasantly surprised when the story took a turn. Part of the fun of this movie is the pure and simple secrets of the underlying motivation of the characters. And everybody's got an angle.
Who are the big winners? Everyone associated with the film. And that includes Tyler Perry, the criminal defense lawyer, Neil Patrick Harris, 41, Amy's boyfriend, and Nick's girlfriend Emily Ratajkowski, 23. The "j" is silent so it's pronounced: rat-a-cows'-key. She's a looker.
"Gone Girl" will not win any awards, but it's worth the price of admission if the popcorn's good. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 90. Larry H.