Directed By: David Fincher
Written By: Gillian Flynn (screenplay & novel)
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Admittedly, I don't like to talk a lot about social issues on the internet, since, I feel like the forum is noisy. Annoying think-pieces over-analyzing a movie, saying it doesn't live up to the topic of feminism or by focusing on the male counterpart, Nick Dunne, in Gone Girl. Just reading the debates about Amy Dunne's portrayal in the film from site after site, was a tiresome slog with thinkpieces trying to control the discussion of this movie beyond the film. Which is why, I do my best to avoid articles such as those, knowing they can detach the viewer before viewing it. Rather than give a compared portrayal of movie adaptation vs. book adaptation, I don't feel it would be necessary to do a compare/contrast on the depiction of Amy Dunne based on the condition of her feminism stance; it doesn't interest me. Doing that, would turn this into a nitpick contest of events outside the film, rather than appreciating the brilliance that David Fincher crafted here. My thoughts on Amy are this: She's needy & vindictive. The moment Nick pushed her, was when she planned to coax Nick into falsifying a murder so that he'll have no choice but to respect her. And it worked. If this was just another suspense film with a no-frills twist, it would've ruined the experience. Luckily, Gone Girl has more than just the "girl next door" vibe going around.
Never in my life, have I rooted for such a miserable, irredeemable person, such as Amy. I sort of low-key rooted for Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, yet, he was a straight character with no catch to him. Amy pulled so many hatches here, her elaborate scheming won me over as a guy who generally roots for protagonist. (Well, we all usually root for the title character; alas, though, I was won over by a psychopath.) Her performance was so compelling, gripping even, that it left me with no choice but to settle for the main heel to walk out on top, and the reason for that was the way she sold indoctrinated herself. I don't want to compare her to real life court cases, though, she does have share similar characteristics that enables her to be more of a victim than as a cold-blooded individual. We truly don't get to know Rosamund Pike's character real motive until she sheaths herself from being innocent Amazing Amy to the antonym of "Amazing." Whatever that opposite is, it's certainly not a positive definition. What makes this movie great, is that our version of the truth doesn't matter, because our questions, be it from this film or any high-profile case with generic blonde X, are usually derivatives of why she deserves sympathy or not. When I read those columns, not enough credit was given to Amy for her ingenuity for elaborating a plot, literally; and, how she was able to weasel out of the ordeal. If only Pike nabbed the Oscar for best actress in reality, it would've been the ultimate getaway.
Was the Ending Justified?
Aside from the big twist in the middle, Rosamund Pike & Ben Affleck's excellent performances, David Fincher's sharp direction, there's lot of greatness here. In order to enjoy Gone Girl, stay away from any opinions from anyone. Basically, that's how I went into the movie, without any previous knowledge of it. It was a David Fincher movie & knowing the man's movies, he always something clever to sell to the audience; he's a great storyteller, in that regard. Push aside all of the previous Medea movies that you watched from before experiencing a great performance from Tyler Perry (like, really). All of the female actresses are engaging, besides Pike. Kim Dickens's Det. Rhonda Boney, in particular, was an appealing performance, too, as the persistent police officer attempting to solve the Dunne mystery. I'm still in awe from the events of this film and no time soon will I stop being in shock from what transpired. Whatever Fincher plans next, I'll definitely be there for the fun.
Guilty as Charged: I rooted for Crazy Amy
Never in my life, have I rooted for such a miserable, irredeemable person, such as Amy. I sort of low-key rooted for Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, yet, he was a straight character with no catch to him. Amy pulled so many hatches here, her elaborate scheming won me over as a guy who generally roots for protagonist. (Well, we all usually root for the title character; alas, though, I was won over by a psychopath.) Her performance was so compelling, gripping even, that it left me with no choice but to settle for the main heel to walk out on top, and the reason for that was the way she sold indoctrinated herself. I don't want to compare her to real life court cases, though, she does have share similar characteristics that enables her to be more of a victim than as a cold-blooded individual. We truly don't get to know Rosamund Pike's character real motive until she sheaths herself from being innocent Amazing Amy to the antonym of "Amazing." Whatever that opposite is, it's certainly not a positive definition. What makes this movie great, is that our version of the truth doesn't matter, because our questions, be it from this film or any high-profile case with generic blonde X, are usually derivatives of why she deserves sympathy or not. When I read those columns, not enough credit was given to Amy for her ingenuity for elaborating a plot, literally; and, how she was able to weasel out of the ordeal. If only Pike nabbed the Oscar for best actress in reality, it would've been the ultimate getaway.
Was the Ending Justified?
For me, it was. I don't about how a lot of other people felt about the ending, nevertheless, some feel differently about it. The entire film was so good, I didn;'t want to compartmentalizing it up and down to justify why this piece doesn't fit with the others. Does it simply end without a clear explanation? That depends on how the world made sense of the hours before we saw bloody Amy Dunne comes fainting into the arms of Nick Dunne to play Damsel in Distress. What I saw, was a man coming to grips that the world wasn't going to reason with his side of the story. Despite well-managed PR, A great lawyer & a supportive sister (regardless, if you have a young side chick on the side), all of it faded since the public tends to tune-out on these cases. Only the facade of good will was going to get Nick back in the graces of the public. If he attempted anything sideways to complicate the coverage of his wife, he would be a more despised person than before. For the best, he hid behind the truth of what was really happening. Since she has the leverage on the narrative, he caved. To think of the ending as disappointing or lacking, sort of misses the point. We got finality, except, a woman sick of things changed so much that all her husband could do was submit. Not the greatest ending, but I think it has a deeper meaning after the credits rolled.
Fade to Black
Aside from the big twist in the middle, Rosamund Pike & Ben Affleck's excellent performances, David Fincher's sharp direction, there's lot of greatness here. In order to enjoy Gone Girl, stay away from any opinions from anyone. Basically, that's how I went into the movie, without any previous knowledge of it. It was a David Fincher movie & knowing the man's movies, he always something clever to sell to the audience; he's a great storyteller, in that regard. Push aside all of the previous Medea movies that you watched from before experiencing a great performance from Tyler Perry (like, really). All of the female actresses are engaging, besides Pike. Kim Dickens's Det. Rhonda Boney, in particular, was an appealing performance, too, as the persistent police officer attempting to solve the Dunne mystery. I'm still in awe from the events of this film and no time soon will I stop being in shock from what transpired. Whatever Fincher plans next, I'll definitely be there for the fun.
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