"Gone Girl" (I have no witty title for this one. Also, I know it's really late, but I still felt like putting it on here.)

Gone Girl

That smile is the best evidence of Affleck's perfect casting.

                 A local man’s wife goes missing.  There is evidence of a struggle.  The man, over the course of the first days of the disappearance, acts strangely and appears to be increasingly guilty.  Does this sound like the set up to the year’s smartest, most biting comedy?  Strangely enough, it is.  Gone Girl, the insanely popular novel by Gillian Flynn (who also wrote the screenplay), had its darkly comedic moments, but overall the novel maintained an acerbic tone as it dissected a toxic marriage and the media circus of disappearances/murders.  The film maintains that tone but also elevates the source material by becoming a somewhat absurdist comedy.  It’s almost as if Flynn realized as she was adapting it that a lot of the plot, simply over the top on the page, would become silly on the screen.  It’s a good thing she did because it made Gone Girl not only interesting, but entertaining as well. 

                The specific story of Gone Girl concerns Nick Dunne (a perfectly cast Ben Affleck), a failed New York journalist who returns to his economically down-turned Missouri home with his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), a New York woman through and through (and the subject of a children’s book series written by her parents titled Amazing Amy).  Their marriage deteriorates over the course of a couple years in Missouri, and on the day of their fifth anniversary, Amy goes missing.  That sounds more like the plot to your typical Lifetime movie, but to say much more would spoil the bulk of the film. 

                The film jumps around narratively so both sides of the relationship are featured, and this allows for plenty of fears of marriage to be tossed around (cheating, money, complacency, bitterness, etc.).  It ends up being a darkly funny look at all the fears married couples (or just people in relationships in general) go through.  The basic question being: how much can you really know anyone?  This isn’t a new question for a film.  (The Rules of Attraction comes to mind, when James Van Der Beek’s character flat out says, “No one ever knows anyone.”)  And marriage is often the subject of a film (my favorite film about marriage, or rather, the fears of marriage, would have to be Eyes Wide Shut).  But Gone Girl is unique in that it doesn’t present itself as a case study about marriage.  It’s an absurdist dark comedy about marriage. 

                Who better for an absurdist dark comedy than David Fincher?  Director Fincher may not be the first name brought up when it comes to comedy, but when you check his filmography (Fight Club, Se7en, Zodiac, The Social Network), you see that a number of his films are flat out comedic or at least contain quite a few darkly comedic moments.  Some questioned his decision to take on such a popular novel for his latest film, but once you see it, you understand why the director, famous for filming dozens of takes for particular scenes, is perfect for this source material.  On the page, Flynn wrote dialogue in many scenes as sparsely as possible.  On the screen, reaction shots are necessary.  This is why Fincher was perfect for this; his multiple takes allowed him to capture the best facial responses to the insanity of the story.  Hats off to Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous) for providing the funniest nonverbal reactions.  Because of this, the audience is so used to seeing these silent reactions that when Nick’s lawyer (portrayed by a great Tyler Perry) states, “You two are the most f-ed up people I’ve ever met,” it gets a huge laugh (or at least it did in my theater) because someone finally said it out loud. 

                Those people Perry is referring to are impressively portrayed by Affleck and Pike.  Everyone knows who Affleck is, and we’re all on board with his career resurgence of late.  I never found him to be lacking in acting ability (his role choice is another question), so it was great to see him in a part seemingly written exclusively for him: a character that many people seem to want to hate (just look at the typical internet reaction to Affleck’s casting as the new Batman), but really can’t help his nature.  To be certain, Affleck is not Nick, but it’s easy to confuse the two, which is a credit to his performance that will almost certainly get ignored in the coming awards season (they already gave him Oscars for writing and directing, it’s doubtful they’ll add acting anytime soon). 

                Rosamund Pike is lesser known but her work here is just as impressive.  Without spoiling anything, she gets a bit more to do than the other characters, and she handles it all very convincingly.  The film opens with Nick narrating, wondering what goes on in Amy’s mind, and Pike does a great job at conveying that mystery.  There’s so much going on in her eyes and reactions.

                The supporting cast is just as perfectly cast as the leads.  The aforementioned Fugit and Perry surprised in their roles (it’s hard to imagine the kid from Almost Famous as a detective or Madea as a lawyer).  Kim Dickens (under-appreciated in nearly everything she does), as the lead detective, is effective as she puzzles through the story, providing a cipher for the audience.  Carrie Coon provides another cipher role for the audience as Nick’s sister and provides plenty of comedic relief, as well.  You get the idea; it’s a great cast through and through.

                The writing, directing, and acting are all great, but the music truly completes this film.  The score (by recent Fincher mainstays Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) for Gone Girl gets under your skin.  While the film is funny, it is also filled with tense moments.  The tension created by the script and performances is already apparent, but that distracting score adds the finishing touch.  A good score isn’t necessarily supposed to be noticed, and Reznor and Ross concocted a perfect blend of…well, noise that pervades throughout the film cutting off just at the moment it becomes impossible to ignore. 

                If Gone Girl accomplishes anything, it presents a certain despairing mood about a toxic marriage.  It’s truly a nihilistic, somewhat angry film peopled with (mostly) unlikable/despicable characters.  Somehow, however, Fincher and company have turned this into one of the year’s funniest, most enjoyable film experiences.

Gone Girl receives a:

"Jack Reacher" Still Entertaining, even if Cruise Falls About Two Feet Short...

Jack Reacher - Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, based on the novel One Shot by Lee Child, starring Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, David Oyelowo, Richard Jenkins, Robert Duvall, Jai Courtney, and Werner Herzog - Rated PG-13

 

Jack Reacher is a character many have wanted to see on the big screen for quite some time.  I must confess, I had never even heard of this character from the popular Lee Child novels until this film went into production.  I picked up a copy of the book that the film Jack Reacher is based on, One Shot, and immediately understood why people liked the series and wanted some movies.  Reacher is a fun character because he’s a no-nonsense hulk of a man who can just as easily solve a complex crime as he can beat someone to death with his bare hands.  He stands for what is right and does not care what society or the authorities have to say.  Also, he’s a ghost in a modern world that seems more and more impossible to disappear in.  Needless to say, after reading the book, I too became very excited about this film.

First, the controversy.  Jack Reacher is described as a very large man, and Tom Cruise, shall we say, falls short.  Reacher fans have been very vocal about their hatred for this casting, but it didn’t bother me at all.  I’ve been watching Tom Cruise beat up dudes and do his own stunts for a long time now, so it isn’t that big of a stretch to see him as an action star.  Yeah, he’s not tall, but so what?  Nothing in the film ended up being improbable just because of Cruise’s size.  Though I am not sure fans of the book can forgive the casting because they’ve probably pictured a character that looked nothing like Cruise all of these years whereas I knew Cruise was cast when I read the book, so I was picturing Cruise the whole time and it didn’t bother me.  I imagine when tiny Tom Cruise replaces the imagined beast you had created for Reacher, it is a bit upsetting.  A quick reminder, though, Reacher creator Lee Child approves of Cruise.

Casting aside, everyone should give Jack Reacher a chance.  It is a smart, funny, tense film that follows through with the premise that Reacher is a man who does whatever he wants.  But the story of Reacher has some unfortunate timing (which may be indicative of its middling box office thus far).  The movie begins with a mass shooting portrayed with methodical, cold detail.  It’s impossible (at this moment) to watch that opening scene and not think of the recent mass shooting in Connecticut.  Of course, this is no fault of the film, just a very bad coincidence.  Movies are meant to be, for the most part, escapes from reality and Jack Reacher unintentionally shoves reality right back into your face about five minutes in.  If you can keep watching after that moment, though, the film really pulls you into the case.

The shooting seems like an open and shut case with plenty of evidence to prove that the shooter is a veteran sniper who was very quiet and unassuming (typical mass shooter description).  What’s strange is that the shooter, before he is put into a coma from a beating he takes in custody, asks for Jack Reacher, a former military police detective.  As it turns out, the shooter had done this before, and Reacher almost had him.  So basically Reacher shows up to make sure this guy pays for his crimes.  This is important because the typical scenario would make Reacher an old Army buddy who was there to expose a conspiracy.  Reacher’s desire to bury the suspect makes it that much more interesting when he decides to look deeper into the case.  Of course, there is more to the shooting than meets the eye. 

As a detective story goes, Jack Reacher is interesting and even a little fresh.  The recreations and the way revelations occur are handled in effective ways.  The noir qualities of the film are fun, too.  Reacher does everything his own way, interrogating and intimidating whomever he needs to.  Oh, and he can fight.  The action sequences in the film are all handled very well.  The action is easy to follow, and it never feels like it’s there just to kill time.  Often, violence and action are used for a bit humor.  It is also used to show a bit of brutality.  A tough balance to keep, but writer/director Christopher McQuarrie found a way to pull it off. 

Story and action are great, but it really helps when the cast is up to it.  Cruise, as I stated earlier, is fine.  This is nothing new for Cruise, but that’s no big deal.  This is a role he’s perfect for.  If you’re not a fan of a typical Cruise film, this one won’t change anything.  As for the rest of the cast, there are some great supporting actors in this one.  Rosamund Pike portrays Cruise’s main ally, but she basically just gets to react to shocking revelations.  Her low cut shirts make a bigger impression than her performance.  (Seriously, the amount of cleavage shown by her character starting midway through the film seemed to come out of nowhere.  No major complaints here, though.)  David Oyelowo serves as good competition to Reacher as the cop who wants the open and shut case to remain that way.  Oyelowo is one of those actors who can do a lot just by giving an intent stare, and he uses that for all it’s worth in this movie.  Richard Jenkins is as good as always as the DA.  And Robert Duvall provides some good comedic relief in the third act as an unlikely ally. 

The film’s best supporters are the villains.  Jai Courtney does a great job of creating tension in what could have been a very plain Thug Number One role.  German director Werner Herzog turned out to be the best unlikely casting of 2012 as the Zec, a disfigured, sadistic mastermind.  He had too few scenes, but he made each one vastly interesting with his ghostly gaze and trademark accent.  Plus, as a cinephile, it was great to see the famous auteur acting in a blockbuster.

Jack Reacher has a lot going for it.  While it is pretty much exactly what you would expect for a Tom Cruise action flick, it also provides plenty of interesting and entertaining elements that set it above most thrillers.  Try not to let the headlines or controversial casting decisions keep you from enjoying this fun movie.

Random Thoughts (SPOILERS)

 

With the book fresh in my mind, I was definitely looking for differences, especially since the location was changed from a smallish city in southern Indiana (my area of the world) to Pittsburgh.  I would have preferred the location stay the same for a couple of reasons.  1. I'm from Indiana and this is a pretty forgotten chunk of America, and it's always nice to see something take place in the state. 2. The smallish city aspect of the plot makes a bit more sense for why everyone knows everyone and people keep bumping into each other and whatnot. 

 

The location change did allow for a funny moment for those who have read the book.  First, there is the problem of the redhead hitting on Reacher at the bar.  She says something about him being new in town.  That's a bigger red flag than her expecting his name to be Jack Reacher.  How much of a soak do you have to be to notice a new face in a packed bar in a large city?  There are probably multiple new faces every single night.  Why the change made it funny, however, is the fact that she says that she works at "the" auto parts store.  At first, I thought this was a slip up.  How could Pittsburgh just have the one auto parts store.  When it turned into a joke, it made me okay with the change.  I really liked the fact that the auto parts store ended up being called "Default Auto Parts."