This highly anticipated adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s best-selling 2012 page-turner does not disappoint. Directed by David Fincher, of The Social Network and Fight Club fame, and adapted by Flynn herself, the film opens with the disappearance of Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) from her Missouri home on the morning of her fifth wedding anniversary. As the investigation unfolds, her husband Nick (Ben Affleck) looks increasingly guilty. Accompanied by a chilling soundtrack, the movie is atmospherically fun to watch, and it’s amusing to spot the Missouri references, which include Cardinals, Boulevard Brewing and Mizzou.
It does, however, have a few flaws. A little too slick and stylish for its own good, the story never dives beneath the surface of things, whether in major character development or in its skewering of tabloid news à la Nancy Grace. It does have something to say on gender politics and the utter unknowability of others, even someone as intimate as a spouse, but it merely skates the surface. Regardless, Affleck and Pike are both well-suited to their roles, as is the supporting cast, which includes Tyler Perry, Neil Patrick Harris and Carrie Coon.
Should You See It ? Yes. —S.Z.
Viewed at Wehrenberg Ronnie’s 20 Cinema
