Gone Girl – Will continue to haunt u for a long time!

Gone Girl – Will continue to haunt u for a long time!

Cast:-  Ben Affleck (Nick Dunne), Rosamund Pike (Amy Dunne), Neil Patrick Harris,Tyler Perry,Carrie Coon,Kim Dickens

& Crew:-

Directed by: David Fincher,Screenplay by: Gillian Flynn,

Music by: Trent Reznor,Atticus Ross, Cinematography: Jeff Cronenweth, Edit: Kirk Baxter

Producer: Leslie Dixon, Bruna Papandrea, Reese Witherspoon, Ceán Chaffin

Produced by: Regency Enterprises & Pacific Standard

Distributed by: 20th Century Fox

Running time: 149 minutes

Country  United States

 Story/Backdrop/Screenplay

This film is a classic example how a film’s well thought out screenplay (Gillian Flynn) can simply keep you guessing at every turn and asking for more. The film starts of rather slowly but it is deliberately orchestrated by the director to let the characterization of each actor in play to linger and finally sink into you. Ben Affleck who plays Nick Dunne, Rosamund Pike as Amy Dunne (Exceptional performance) , Carrie Coom as Margo Dunne, Kim Dickens as detective Rhonda Boney, Neil Patrick Harris who plays Desi Collings and Tyler Perry as Tanner Bolt each one of them have supported the director David Fincher to the hilt. The story based on a novel Gillian Flynn is all about a modern day marriage of convenience filled with lies, deceit, dark secrets between the husband and wife. Amidst all this chaos and confusion the best way to retain your sanity is simply learn to use this relationship to a mutual advantage. This director has excelled in showcasing this unrealistic mirage of today’s shallow relationship between man and wife.

The film set in Missouri starts with Nick’s 5^th wedding anniversary. He reports that his wife has gone missing. From here on the police take over and the media hypes it to a tizzy! (TR ratings are all that matters). Let me do a chronological review which may help you understand the plot better.

Prelude: Nick Dunne is stroking Amy’s hair- Voice over- ‘He would like to crack her skull and examine a part of her brain to know what she was thinking! (Doesn't every married couple want an answer to this question?)

2012:  Nick (writes for a men’s magazine) goes about his daily chores. Goes to a bar he co-owns with his sister. Over a board game Mastermind! (The director subtly hints to u the nature of his premise. But u will never catch it!). Nick’s mind is not on the game and seems unhappy. Marco is not exactly in love with Amy! Subtle but again another knot neatly tied.

2005:  Nick and Amy meet at a party. Amy also is a personality quiz writer for a magazine. They hit it off well! (Watch the director how he uses the symbolism of a sugar delivery at a bakery in the background to let you know that ‘it all starts with sugar and honey love!’)

Today:  Nick at the bar gets a call from a neighbor that his cat is stranded outside his house. Gets back home to find that a glass table is all shattered and on the floor. He finds that Amy is missing. He calls the police. Detective Rhonda arrives and after a few simple questions to Nick finds a small splatter of blood in the kitchen. She sees a book ‘Amazing Amy’ and reveals to Nick that she is a great fan of Amy’s writings.

Note: The police station scene where Nick happens to meet his dad by sheer accident and driving him back to an assisted care centre is another loose end craftily closed by the director a little later.

2007(After 2 years of courtship):  Nick and Amy go to a party arranged by Amy’s parents Rand and Marybeth. Nick decides to propose to Amy and she accepts. The director again uses a book as a tool for Nick to reveal the engagement ring. Always stays focused on his chosen premise. Nick uses the word ‘vagina’ the director uses this to simply state that most men use their partners only for ‘sex’.

2009:  ‘Happily’ remain married for 2 years. The usage of bed sheets as gifts by both Amy and Nick to symbolize sex is another classic example used by the director.

Today: Using ‘clues’ to move the story is another brilliant example of innovation in screen play by this director. He through clues left by the missing Amy discovered by the detective and Nick leads the viewer to a step by step unraveling of the plot! (Hercule Poirot would have given a pat to the director for using a wedding anniversary as a ploy to leave clues for estranged husband to discover the play by the missing wife). Clue 1 leads to clue 2 – a red panty a loose end as of now but again brilliantly tied up later by the director) Using the alarm in Nick’s dad’s empty house (loose end of the missing dad closed here) and in the confusion Nick hides the 3^rd clue. Amy’s parents fly in from New York and the media continues its relentless hype on the missing Amy. Amy is by now a household name in America. Nick who remains emotionless at a press conference goes with his overall character. The entry of an old classmate and boy friend Desi Collins who had been earlier accused of being a stalker by Amy sort of draws the suspicion away from Nick on to the new entrant of this drama. Once again the suspicion veers back to Nick based on a ‘selfie’ posted on facebook. (Present day usage of ‘selfie’ to damage beyond redemption the character of another) These small but impact creating scenes takes this film from being a drama to a mystery and now moves it to a thriller ‘genre’.  The feminist media now paint Nick as a sociopath and the entire country simply hates him.

2010: Amy’s diary is another example of a writer using her brains in essaying her actions. 1. ‘Background Noises’ in their lives used to explain Amy’s parents financial problems along with Amy’s actions in giving away a million dollars without asking Nick and his reaction etc. 2. Nick’s sudden fascination to video games and electronic gadgets another lovely bit to portray Nick losing interest in their marriage. 3. Nick and Margo’s mother being diagnosed with cancer another viable distraction. 4. Amy wants to go out with Nick as he is about to go out to meet some friends and his refusal to take her with him. 5. At this point Amy confronts Nick and wants to have a child 6. Nick loses his cool and reacts rather violently. Where is this all leading to? Believe me it leads you to a near edge of the seat thriller!

Present Day: Amy disappears! The director now reveals that Nick is having an affair with Andie a 20 year old. (Here the usage of SMS to reveal that she is outside. Well thought of!). Margo is shocked to learn that her brother is having an affair and he also wanted to divorce Amy. At Amy’s night vigil the assembled crowd and the viewers get the shock of their lives to discover that Amy’s 6 months pregnant at the time of her disappearance. The police now discover traces of a wiped out pool of blood at Nick’s home.  On top of all this Nick’s overdrawn credit card bills and upping the value of Amy’s life insurance policy etc slowly but surely points all suspicion at him for the murder of his wife Amy. Finally cornered Nick remembers the hidden 3^rd clue and deciphers it and gets the biggest shock of his life!

I really do not want to reveal anything more about this film and act spoiler except for the fact that the second half of this film will simply thrill you to bits!

And the climax: As far as I am concerned the director’s choice is the best ending to this film! If he had tinkered with it he would have botched it!

Trivia I liked: The cat – a silent witness to all the happenings. 2. Usage of clues to move the film. 3. Amy’s revelation through her diary notes. 4. The robbery of Amy at the motel. 5. Her final tryst with Desi Collins. 5. Even the toothpaste tune with the brand ‘Aim’

6. Amy’s (Rosamund Pike) amazing performance. 7. Nick’ subdued acting (Ben Affleck) 8. Every actor played his part to almost perfection. 9. Hats off to the director for the sheer audacity of the screen play.

Published Trivia: Ben Affleck postponed directing a film in order to work with David Fincher. "He's the only director I've met who can do everybody else's job better than they could," states Affleck. On set one day, Affleck changed the lens setting on a camera an almost indiscernible amount, betting a crew member that Fincher wouldn't notice. "But goddammit if he didn't say, 'Why does the camera look a little dim?'"

In order to figure out his character, Ben Affleck researched and studied several men who were accused and convicted of killing their wives. He paid particular attention to Scott Peterson.

For her performance, Rosamund Pike drew inspiration from Nicole Kidman's performance in To Die For (1995) and Sharon Stone's in Basic Instinct (1992). She also studied Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, wife of John F. Kennedy Jr., for her body language and aloof mood.

When it comes to casting roles, David Fincher typically goes on the internet to look through pictures of actors to help him find the right type of actor for a role. When casting the role of Nick Dunne, Fincher spotted photos of Ben Affleck & noticed a particular smile Affleck had on dozens of pictures to which Fincher has stated captured a particular emotion in a scene of Nick Dunne smiling that Fincher said apprehended the essence of the character Nick Dunne. After that, Fincher shortly casted Ben Affleck for the role.

In a scene where Nick and Amy have sex in the library, they talk about Jane Austen's book "Pride & Prejudice". Rosamund Pike, who plays Amy, was the one of the leads in that book's movie version, playing the part of Jane Bennet.

The film has become David Fincher's highest grossing domestic box-office film. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" was David Fincher's highest grossing domestic box-office film prior.

David Fincher's second film in a row to have the word Girl in the title, the previous being The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Published Plot Holes: Amy allegedly lost lots of blood on the kitchen floor. Later, nobody questions what the injury that produced so much of it was.

A lot of the items in the shed would had to be signed for and received by someone; no one investigates who signed for the deliveries. No one even noticed a large quantity of deliveries coming to the shed, either by Amy or the delivery guys.

Amy calls Desi for help and he later comes to her place. Before that Desi was seen in so many places like in Missouri and New York where Nick visits him. If the investors (Rhonda) went about Desi's call records, they would have known that Amy had called Desi after disappearing.

Bottom line: What ‘Kollywood’ director Bala achieved in the Tamil film ‘Sethu’; ‘Hollywood’ director David Fincher has achieved in ‘Gone girl’ – Honestly both these films will continue to haunt you for a very long time after you leave the theatre!

Quote: ‘Most modern marriages are built on a platform of mutual convenience! The man and wife relationship these days most often than not is filled with shame, anger, deceit, dark secrets, sometimes even murder and most of all SEX! But the institute of marriage carries on as the end marks the beginning!”

Footnote: Though this reminds you of the film 'Double Jeopardy' (1999) Stg Tommy Lee Jones & Ashley Judd where the roles were reversed where the husband disappears and wife searches etc. This film plays with your emotions a lot more than DJ!

My Rating: 3.5 and for the performance of Rosamund Pike as Amy +.25 Total 3.75/5 – GO for it, before it’s GONE!

Until Next Time,

Director Haricharan

12/11/2014