Gone Girl

There’s little doubt that David Fincher’s propensity for overlong movies has reached its breaking point, as Gone Girl, for the most part, feels like an excellent thriller trapped within the confines of a bloated (and palpably plodding) drama – which is a shame, certainly, given that the film boasts a whole raft of exceedingly positive attributes (including flawless visuals, superb performances, and a smattering of thoroughly tense sequences). The movie, which details the uproar that ensues after Nick Dunne’s (Ben Affleck) wife (Rosamund Pike’s Amy) goes missing under mysterious circumstances, has been hard-wired with a thoroughly lethargic pace that holds the viewer at arms length for much of its 149 minute (!) running time, with this vibe certainly perpetuated by an opening hour that suffers from a distinct paucity of electrifying moments (ie for lack of a better word, Gone Girl‘s first half just feels routine). It’s just as clear, however, that the movie benefits substantially from Fincher’s typically meticulous sense of style, as the filmmaker ensures that virtually every single frame boasts a compelling, eye-catching feel – which, when coupled with the actors’ above-average efforts, ensures that Gone Girl is, at the very least, consistently watchable. There are, having said that, a few stretches here that are undoubtedly heightened by Fincher’s directorial prowess, with the best and most engrossing example of this a montage at the film’s midway point depicting how a certain character has been spending their time. The prolonged finale ultimately confirms Gone Girl‘s place as an entertaining yet relentlessly padded-out piece of work, and it is, at this point, hard to imagine that Fincher’s output will ever again reach the heights of early efforts like Se7en and The Game.

*** out of ****