Gone Girl

You know, I've seen a lot of movies in my time and anyone who knows me knows I like the dark ones with the twisted, dark characters.  Now, I always believe in full disclosure which means I have to admit first that I have not read the book.  Since right before the movie came out, everyone was reading it which makes me one of about a dozen people in the world who have not read it.

Okay, back to my love of dark and twisted movies and their characters.  If you enjoy those aspects of movies also, you will also know there have been so many awesomely dark characters in cinema.  For every Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Buffalo Bill, there's an Aileen Wournos, Jigsaw, Annie Wilkes, John Doe (Seven), Norman Bates, and Jack Torrance.

Just to let you know right off the bat, I am not going to say who is the twisted one in this intriguingly dark tale of love, marriage, and all the straight jackets in between.  That would make a bad, bad movie critic and I would really need to be slapped hard on the hand.  On the simpler side, Gone Girl  is the tragic story of Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck), a bar owner in a small town whose life is suddenly put to a grinding halt when, on his fifth wedding anniversary, his wife Amy goes missing.  Also, again on the simpler side, most of the movie is is trying to decipher, "did Nick Dunne kill his wife?"  The story weaves like an episode of Law and Order but you will figure out there is more to this story of whether simply did Nick Dunne kill his wife or not.

So, that is all I am saying about the plot itself.  This is storytelling at its finest.  At first, the flow is perfect, like floating on a Texas Hill Country river in summer while it is at the perfect level.  Suddenly, it turns into a riptide, pulling you under and trying to rip each limb out of your body.  It is even hard to say too much about the performances, worrying I will divulge too much about this deliciously nasty plot.  Ben Affleck is great, definitely continuing his massive comeback (Matthew McConaughey's is called the McConnaissance but I am trying to figure out what to call Ben's).  Neil Patrick Harris plays a very different type is this movie, definitely putting Barney in the rearview mirror.  It was odd seeing him in this type of role and I need to do some more pondering before I decide if I want to see it again or not.  I think he will put Barney far, far behind him and us.  The standout is Rosamund Pike who portrays the kidnapped Amy Dunne.  All I can say is she better get some major award love next year.

This is one of the best American dramas this year. There are no car chases, big explosions or natural disasters.  It's a deep, dark story, with actors and great writing leading the way.  If you do not experience this film, I am afraid you will be gone too.

Thank you and see you at the next blog.