Let's Discuss: The Buzz Surrounding 'Gone Girl'

David Fincher’s adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s best-selling crime novel is quickly becoming one of the early awards season breakouts and a likely box office hit. “Gone Girl” is a moody mystery that centers on the disappearance of 30-something wife Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) and the suspicion that falls on her husband Nick (Ben Affleck) as the investigation into her whereabouts unravels his darkest and deeply kept secrets.


As their volatile marriage unfolds on-screen, the question of his involvement takes center stage. Elevating the intrigue on this particular drama are the various layers at play. Its pop culture relevance echoes as a keen observation of society’s fascination with the lurid headlines of true crime.

For viewers who’ve seen the trailer or the various promotional pictures, the sad reality is the “Gone Girl” plotline is not far off from the headline generating cases that the 24/7 news cycle has turned into its own soap opera, complete with villains, heroes and victims. The issues of public perception, trial by the press and the evidence (or lack thereof) it takes to indict a person in the public conscious is a searing and topical issue.

The main allegation by opponents being that as the media invades and eviscerates their latest cover story; the chances of obtaining a brittle truth begin to fragment. In the realm of thrillers there’s a surprisingly significant social storyline beneath the glossy surface of “Gone Girl”.

On a movie making level there is an abundance of reasons to get caught up in the buzz. In the current studio system, adult thrillers are rarely being produced and if it succeeds it could open the flood gates to similar projects, which is a marvelous prospect. This is Fincher’s follow-up to “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” which despite being an excellent film, stumbled finding an audience at the box office.

It was a surprising result for a film that (similar to this) received a tremendous amount of fan fare and media attention. Fincher’s gift as seen with “The Game” and “Zodiac” is crafting thrillers and “Gone Girl” should prove to be no exception.

On a casting level, things are promising. Rosamand Pike, a consistent film presence for years is finally getting a chance to step up to the bat as a main player. While Ben Affleck takes on one of the rare roles to fit his on-screen persona like a glove.

It is perhaps the best use of stunt casting in recent memory. The only thing that could possibly be standing in the movie’s way is the controversial book ending, which had reportedly beenre-written for the movie, only to have those comments be backpedaled on later. Whether or not, Flynn has reworked a conclusion that some saw as flawed will be interesting to discover.

As for the Oscar buzz surrounding the movie, that will remain to be seen for a while. It is incredibly difficult for a movie premiering this early to sustain the necessary momentum into awards season. Just look at last year’s race. The critically lauded thriller “Prisoners” and Ron Howard’s worthy biopic “Rush” both got lost in the fray when they opted for late September release dates.

Technical awards or a Best Director nod for Fincher would be the best chance for "Gone Girl". One thing is certain, there’s a lot mystery and suspense surrounding its release and answers will soon be readily available.