Classic Rewatch: Gone Girl

Nick and Amy Dunne are the perfect couple living an idyllic, dreamy, suburban life with a marriage to envy, until one day a cruel tragedy tears them apart. David Fincher’s 2014 mystery thriller, based on the Gillian Flynn novel of the same name, explores the supposed disappearance of the rich, white, middle class Amy (Rosamund Pike) and the media circus which builds as her husband Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) is implicated in her vanishing. Soon, the sheen of their glamorous and idealised lifestyle is eroded under scrutiny from the news media and the law, and it becomes quickly apparent that there may have been more than a little trouble in paradise. Scored by a moody track by Trent Reznor, Gone Girl has twists aplenty as you’d expect from any revenge story, especially one from Fincher. Add to that meaty roles for leads Pike and Affleck, a slick turn by Tyler Perry as Nick’s media savvy lawyer, coupled with possibly the best montage in recent cinema with the “Cool Girl” monologue and you have all the makings of a modern classic. Tense, impeccably paced and with an ending that will leave you talking for days, Gone Girl will be remembered as one of Fincher’s best.

But did you know…

1) Affleck has noticeably different weights throughout the film, ranging from average (by Hollywood standards) to incredibly muscular. This was as a result of him being cast as Batman in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice during production.

2) Reese Witherspoon, who served as a producer on the film, was originally set to play Amy Dunne. Rosamund Pike was eventually picked to play Amy after Fincher discovered she was an only child, “I realised that’s what Amy had to have. She had to wear that. It’s the thing that children who are socialised with adults and not with other siblings have — this other thing that sets them apart…” And so from that point on we built Amy around Rosamund, tailored it to Rosamund, Rosamund was the one.” He was also drawn to the fact that Pike’s age is difficult to pin down, with her being able to appear older and younger.

3)A sequel could possibly happen, with both Pike and Gillian Flynn (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Fincher, which in itself is unusual) claiming they would be up for it, but it would be a few years down the line. Let’s hope sooner rather than later, eh?