Director: David Fincher
Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Carrie Coon, Tyler Perry, Neil Patrick Harris
My Rating: Loved It!!
Budget: $61 Million
So far this year I have given Perfect scores to both Guardians of the Galaxy and Boyhood. I feel like I would be completely remiss if I were to give Gone Girl anything less. If I gave Guardians a perfect score because of how utterly fun it was; and if I gave Boyhood a perfect score because of the monumental achievement Linklater accomplished; then I'm giving Gone Girl a perfect score because it's drama of the highest order.
I have not read the book. I went into the film completely unknowing, and I left with complete hatred for one of the characters. Movies rarely have me feeling such strong emotions, but Gone Girl wanted me to wring this character's neck. This is a testament to the great story told here by Gillian Flynn and the consistently great directing by David Fincher. You won't see any of the flashy Fincher in Gone Girl, but I don't think it called for it. This isn't a movie like Fight Club. The camera and cinematography, while still on point, definitely took a backseat to the story; as it should've.
I don't like to throw around the term "spell-binding" a lot, but that is precisely what Gone Girl is. There are a few jaw-dropping moments in this film, especially if you didn't already know the story like me. You will be filled with rage, and you will sit in complete disbelief at a few of the scenes; and as a movie, if it has that much of an effect on me, it's much better than the majority of movies out there.