Adaptations of best sellers can often be dodgy territory for fans of the book; however whether you’ve read Gillian Flynn’s masterpiece or not GONE GIRL the movie does not disappoint. This may be down to the fact that Flynn actually wrote the screenplay herself, keeping true to the book incorporating the tension and the humour in just the right doses to keep any fan happy.
The premise of the story is that when Nick returns home he finds the front door open, the house empty and his wife, Amy missing; and so the mystery begins. Thisisn’t rated an 18 for no reason, it is raunchy and has moments of raw graphic violence, but it also builds an intriguing tale that keeps the viewer gripped from the beginning to end.
Affleck continues to rebuild his credibility by personifying the character of Nick to almost perfection; when you read a book you often picture a protagonist in a certain way and the casting was spot on with Affleck. As it was with Rosamund Pike (Jack Reacher) who plays his missing wife Amy, this is arguably her best performance so far and should really bring this British actress into the spotlight even more. As could be said of Neil Patrick Harris, who is mainly known for his long running character Barney in How I Met Your Mother, his transition into playing a main character in a film is seamless; capturing the personality of Desi Collings to a T.
There is not much more you can say about the story without spoiling it, although it has to be mentioned the clever use of the exact same opening scene as the closing scene; with the only difference being that the now enlightened viewer can see a completely altered and twisted meaning. This is definitely one not to be missed, go see this if you like a good old fashioned mystery, stories told with extreme use of flashbacks and psychopathic women (and don’t think that’s all of them).
Review by Josie Opal
