Gone Girl

Mosaïque d'événements perfectionniste et compacte. Chirurgicalement confiante, parfaitement synchronisée dans chaque scène, dans chaque plan. C'est précisément pourquoi, et en raison de mon admiration pour le talent de Fincher, il est dommage qu'il soit si froid et impersonnel en même temps. Qu'il ne permette pas au spectateur de s'y impliquer et en fasse juste un observateur. C'est une partie du jeu du maître, mais c'est dommage. Trent Reznor et Atticus Ross ont autrefois donné une identité musicale au monde des héros qui ont construit un phénomène Internet à partir de zéros et de uns. Original et efficace. Mais que fait leur bulle chimique dans l'histoire de la relation entre deux personnes? Gone Girl ne serait-il pas un meilleur film s'il était animé par la passion et les émotions? C'est un film sur la rupture d'une relation conjugale et il a la même esthétique audiovisuelle que le thriller de Soderbergh sur une épidémie mondiale mortelle... (20/10/2014)

Bitching about Fincher playing it safe is like badmouthing Jagr for his hockey finesse and scoring goals. This narrative, directed with the precision of a neurosurgeon, for whom the camera is the scalpel and the music the anesthetic, precisely doses the marital crisis with a cool detachment, in which the apparent waters of detachment are navigated by actors who have every letter of the script pinned directly to their bodies. Affleck's worldliness with the hallmark of a small-town dweeb works, but Rosamund Pike reigns supreme. Their interaction is something you experience on screen once or twice every three years. It’s a perfectly polished film that knows it and isn't ashamed of it. The first and last shots are divine. (09/10/2014)

Gone Girl is a really good atmospheric drama, the kind probably only David Fincher can make. But that’s my problem – whenever I see Fincher and a thriller, I expect something in the vein of Seven. But as opposed to this flick, everything about Seven was perfect. In this case, the movie is close to perfect, which is also why I was originally going to give it a five-star review. But as time went on, I decided to take one star off because there were things in the movie that messed up the perfection. Take for instance Neil Patrick Harris. His character was good, but I’d never cast him into a serious thriller like this. He simply doesn’t belong into movies like that, no matter how hard he tries. You may have noticed that nobody even mentions him here. By contrast, Rosamund Pike puts in a performance that will be really hard to ever to surpass for her. I hadn’t seen such a good performance in a long time and I will not forget it any time soon, if ever. Despite her perfect performance, you still have Ben Affleck, about whom I really don’t know what to think. I definitely wouldn’t say he’s stiff, which is what a lot of people here are saying, I simply didn’t know where to put him. It seemed to me he had no opinions of his own and I still feel the same way. Well, and these three actors portray probably the three most important characters in the movie. And that’s where it all starts from and also what it lives and dies with. As regards the story, it’s absolutely clear to me why Fincher had picked it. The same way it was clear to me why he’d picked the ‘Millennium Trilogy’. It’s obvious that he likes stories like these. He simply loves the unexpected twists. Let me just add that this movie didn’t get five stars because the ending was cut off unnecessarily fast. I would have expected some kind of conclusion that would knock me off my feet and that I could keep thinking about without having to get back to the movie as a whole. Simply some knock-out ending. Something similar to what you get in Shutter Island. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, hence the four-star review. At the same time, I think that it is one of the best movies Fincher has ever made. If he just went on making movies like this, I wouldn’t mind at all. (10/10/2014)

Who wouldn't want to open their wife's skull and see what's going on inside it? Best Fincher since 2007. Especially the first half is brilliant. The way in which Fincher managed to elegantly embody two unreliable book narrators into exciting cinematic speech is worthy of (un) academic admiration. Especially since the film does not achieve the stratification and urgency of the book, but it is able to balance it with predatory irony and scathing exaggeration. Criticism of the crises of a troubled society, which is oriented only by reflections and media images, is carried out with ease and without any lameness. I have problems more so with the second half, which is slightly camp, and, especially through the irresistibly psychopathic caricature of the main character, the film makes its work a little easier when it runs from subtle social criticism and attentive satire of a marital crisis to shocking twists. Moreover, in some of the "dark" scenes, it seems as if Ben Affleck (deprived of the opportunity to defend himself with his smile) reaches the limits of his acting. I can't say that Fincher convinces me indefinitely about the meaningfulness of all of the parts of his game, but I admit, without torture, that even taking into account the complexity of the original and all the pitfalls of the material, my initially slightly indifferent attitude transformed into deep recognition. I’d like to watch this Gone Bitch again after some time has passed. (30/09/2014)

When an author adapts his own (so complex) work for the silver screen, it rarely bodes well because there is too much personal involvement. This doesn’t apply to Flynn, who wasn’t afraid of cutting up and changing her "mirror holding, not-so-much-crime-thriller, satirical, cynical bestseller about relationships" to suit the needs of another medium. So she got rid of everything not directly related to the central storyline. Due to this there is drastically less about those two (and so the main snag with the original book, that these two are puppets who behave according to the momentary needs of the story and that they aren’t living characters, becomes much more apparent) and more about the investigation storyline and the influence of the media on public opinion. And so the movie did include Nick’s unfulfilled ambitions as a writer and Amy’s magazine quizzes in everyday practice. Even the diary entries are edited to the bare minimum; it’s simply whittled down to a stump. And as much as this approach didn’t work in the book, the better it works on the movie screen; especially Fincher’s so apt, coolly depersonalized concept which is taken a level higher by the disquieting hypnotic background music from the Reznor/Ross duo. In any case, the most important parts of the book remained. The evolution of the Nick/Amy relationship is cleverly written, like the best horoscopes. I mean in a way that any couple in a long term relationship can recognize themselves in some respect (I’m talking about the first half here). And in this situation you might take it personally, because this creates the impression that "this could happen to you too". If it isn’t happening already... (02/10/2014)

This seemingly careless directorial style, in which every scene has its place, is slowly starting to bother me. Because it has never been as impersonal in David Fincher's interpretation as it is here. And if a dramatic thriller, whose essence lies in relationships, lacks even a hint of chemistry or tangible emotions between Nick and Amy, that's a disappointment. And if they also lack it in those moments when they are supposed to be a couple in love or overflowing with hatred, I realize that I am not getting nearly as much as I would like – and probably should, considering the topic. The complicated journey of the lost girl and the people around her is significantly less sophisticated or surprising than it promises most of the time. Relationships may be hard work and a science – but they're definitely not like this. (02/01/2015)

Like Paul Thomas Anderson, David Fincher is moving toward an increasingly subdued and austere form of perfection in his directing. After the first part of their respective filmographies, which was characterised by ostentatious formal bombast culminating, in Fincher’s case, in Panic Room with abundant playing with flying camerawork in flawless reality-defying approaches, greater efficiency and modesty are increasingly becoming hallmarks of their later films. That doesn’t mean that Fincher and Anderson have become some sort of ascetics, but only that their mastery is reflected in the fact that they do not in any way attract attention to themselves. We could almost mention the return of studio style, where the form also served to maximally draw viewers into the story and did not have to draw attention to itself, except this time it’s not a matter of following certain conventional rules, but expressing flawless familiarisation with the craft and maximally well-though-out composition of every shot so that it serves the work as a whole. Gone Girl is Fincher’s riveting masterclass on outwitting viewers, where at the same time we are astonished not only by the narrative (typically about characters who deceive those around them and inventively work with their own image), but also by how seemingly easily and subtly the film guides us and keeps us chained to the screen and holding our breath throughout its runtime. (11/11/2020)

I haven't seen a movie this suspenseful in a long, a truly long time. It's so terribly suspenseful that after the first line I was ready to rewind the film to the end to see how it would turn out. It blends so many things that I love in movies. Unexpected twists and turns, engaging narration from the main heroine, and... one big game. And the best part is the insightful, even clinical way in which it's filmed. I have no complaints about the cast either. I'm simply and plainly blown away and if anyone asks me for a movie recommendation this year, this one will immediately jump out at me. Anyway, I'm off to buy the book this weekend. 5 stars. (21/01/2015)

So this is the drama that made everyone pee their pants in bliss? It's impersonal, cold, both of them deserve to be slapped. I liked the character of the detective and the sister of the accused the best – there seemed to be some character to them. But otherwise it's like walking through a fog. It might feel nice at first, coming out of the warmth of your home, but as time goes on you realize you can't actually see anything and you feel the same thing all the time. No twist. Nothing to delight you. It's a film about how manipulation, callousness, and emotional apathy win out. Is that a reflection of the US? Europe? The world? When I think about it that way, it's disgusting. But that's about the only emotion the film evoked in me. Otherwise, nothing. A blank void. In the fog. But it's shot with precision, no question. (05/03/2015)

I associate Fincher with "precise craftsmanship" rather than a "film event." I got plenty of that in Gone Girl. I definitely do not regret going to the movie theater because the big screen highlights all elements of Fincher's filmmaking art. But then there is the plot and the screenplay, and I'm not as satisfied with those. It's a typical artificial construct, another one in the endless series of American films about highly intelligent psychopathic manipulators and their ability to escape justice. While watching, I couldn't help but think of Primal Fear, which made a name for Edward Norton. The film can be in any genre, but I need to believe in it, and I simply couldn't believe in Gone Girl. The film is simply too well-crafted for me to consider it lighter entertainment. As for the emphasized social-critical dimension toward the media, we have already seen that countless times in American cinema and elsewhere, often done better. For me, it gets 3.5 stars, with the certainty that Gone Girl will have so many enthusiastic fans that it definitely doesn't need the 4th star from me. Overall impression: 65%. (05/10/2014)

Life is tough. Marriage is tougher... Fincher didn’t let us down. Precise in every aspect, every glass and every handkerchief has its place here. Glues you to the screen and doesn’t let go. The music element just goes to confirm the creative genius of all those concerned. Perfect rhythm, editing and first class acting performances (Affleck excellently ordinary, Rosamund Pike is on her way to an Oscar), masterly written characters. An original story, an absolutely modern insight into a marriage and overall women’s predominance in this millennium. (06/10/2014)

In the nineties, we had an explicit, glamorous and highly image-conscious Sharon Stone, screaming at Nick. Twenty years later, we have a mousy, minimalist blonde who quietly observes everything and waits for the perfect strike, ideally with the help of her friends Google and Facebook. In 2030, we will probably have three shells by the toilet and not know how to use them, we will have sex through a computer, and fines for swearing will be the norm. Not that David Fincher isn't complex again, but family dramas are a tough nut to crack. He has the gift of directing a theme so multilaterally that everyone from an idiot to an old-fashioned computer science professor can find something in it (or relate to it in different life situations). The best female performance of the year and the screenplay of the year, a film that (as always with Fincher) makes you reflect and poses life questions with ambiguous answers. And Trent Reznor and his friend Atticus Ross are rocking it again. (03/10/2014)

Initially extremely engaging and very atmospheric, the spectacle degenerates somewhere in the middle of the film into a parade of hard-to-believe and far-fetched situations, during which one can't help asking questions like "How is it possible that...?", "Are you serious?", "Are they really that stupid at the FBI?" and so on. It's a shame, because the film obviously takes great pride in being as real as possible, and this assorted nonsense somehow can't let it do that. (21/10/2014)

Don’t ask what we can do to our wives, but what they can do to us – we might be very surprised. I can’t argue about the extent to which the book's intellectual perspective has been captured, or how impressed the reader is by the fact that the film, in its second half, directs all sympathy to only one side of the barricade (I won't state which for the sake of avoiding spoilers), and frankly I don't want to worry too much about it. The main thing is that Fincher has once again lived up to his quality and made a significant contribution to the as yet non-existent encyclopedia of 5000 must-see films. It is true that this is quite a feast of dense atmosphere in the style of Se7en or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and at least with the latter film, Gone Girl shares several parallels, testifying to the enduring effectiveness of the director’s specific style. Although at first glance the film gives the impression that every scene and image has been dissected to almost perfection, the demanding story moves along incredibly well and keeps the viewer in rapt attention to what will happen next and how. But that applies until about the middle. The second part, due to the stagnant mystery line, which worked perfectly up to that point, lacks a bit of the earlier pace, and especially the all-important element of mystery, without which Fincher's style can never fully work. And here we can perhaps talk about a certain weakness in the script, which is indeed built as a unique psychological-detective mosaic and deserves full credit from influential critics, but I would still advise Ms. Flynn in the future: "Don't approach the script without Fincher". No one else could make something so engaging and smart looking when the motivations of the main characters themselves, with all due respect, seem somewhat implausible and bloated to overly philosophical proportions. But I guess that's just my problem, 80%. I’m adding a star after a rewatch. Fincher has once again managed to produce an atmospheric treat that can repeatedly arouse infinite admiration just by its compositional construction, even though the viewer is already familiar with the story. Moreover, it’s probably the best critique of the overwhelming influence currently wielded by the insatiable mass media. I bow down in respect, Mr Director. (04/10/2014)

When the twist is revealed in the middle of the movie, one would think that Fincher has exhausted all his tricks, but he is such a good filmmaker that he can still captivate the audience with this step and ultimately present them with another dark journey that ends with an even darker finale. You literally watch the film every minute because you need to know how it ends. Ben once again showed me that he can act when he wants to. (15/12/2014)

A chilling probe into partner relationships which keeps you from raising certain questions afterward, whether you like it or not, and suspends your disbelief, regardless of whether or not it’s justified. A compelling satire of the American media space (not necessarily limited only to the conditions in the US, though it's pretty clear where the stench of generalization is emanating from and who it's most likely directed at), where by far the most supreme court is no government authority but the wider (in)expert public. At its core, this is a relationship crime drama that, thanks to precise direction and impeccable audio-visual sumptuousness switches a piteous marital etude into a horrifically brutal mode (and there's still relatively little physical violence given the deranged nature of the main character). Gone Girl is an immensely complex, meticulously cultivated to the last detail, and brilliantly acted and directed immersive spectacle in which there is meaning often in even the smallest, seemingly inconsequential detail. The whole thing is so terribly intoxicating – from the impressive tight camera shots to the perfectly fitting soundtrack to the demonic monologues of the main female character. It's hard to find any flaws, because from the first minute it's just a terrible massacre. I hate to use the word ingenious (because it's a little too ultimate), but the direction of this film is truly ingenious. (10/01/2017)