Gone Girl - B+

Rated R, 150 minutes
Wes's Grade: B+

Masterfully executed, tense "Gone Girl" a must-see

Well, I still hated the ending. Gillian Flynn's best-selling novel "Gone Girl" was an intense and engaging crime drama with a frustrating ending, and the movie is a faithful adaptation: intense and engaging with a frustrating ending. Superbly executedand well-acted with alternating moments of dark humor and disturbing intensity, "Gone Girl" is one of the year's best dramas and a must-see for devotees of the novel. On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports that his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick's portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife? Directed by acclaimed director David Fincher from "The Social Network" and "Seven" fame, "Gone Girl" finds Fincher in his perfect element: a unique, masterful blend of crime, psychological drama and people doing bad things. In other words, it's pretty jacked up stuff for sure but so entertaining you won't be able to turn away. The stellar production values don't disappoint, with the flawless sets and photography, not to mention the well-placed, moody-jazzy score from Fincher's go-to music guys, Oscar-winners (from "The Social Network") Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Affleck is solid as the imperfect, somewhat clueless husband, who is generally a step behind his cunningly smart, devious wife Amy, in a most stunning, Oscar-worthy turn from British character actress Rosamund Pike, who you've seen many times before and just didn't know it (often alongside Simon Pegg in his comedies); one bloody good scene involving her character and another is so shocking and disturbing it'll leave you breathless. "Gone Girl" also benefits from a strong supporting cast, including Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry (yes, that Tyler Perry), Sela Ward, Patrick Fugit, and especially two standouts, Carrie Coon as Nick long-suffering twin sister and Kim Dickens as the tough detective with the Southern drawl, both of whom deserve Oscar nominations for their affecting, memorable  supporting performances. "Gone Girl" isn't perfect: it's a little too long and it works better as an unhinged psychological portrayal than a crime drama, out of which comes the very divisive, frustrating ending that is unchanged (despite what you've heard) from the book. From a psychological standpoint, it works perfectly, but the "Law & Order" in you will want more resolution; I'm ultimately disappointed that Flynn (who wrote the screenplay from her book) didn't change it more. In spite of its flaws, the vastly entertaining "Gone Girl" is still richly satisfying, masterfully executed and diatrurbing though much like relationships (and perhaps marriage itself), you may remain devoted to it in spite (and maybe because of) your partner's flaws. Definitely worth a look.