On the day of their 5th year wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (played by Ben Affleck) finds his wife missing. Amy (played by Rosamund Pike) was a popular writer of children's books so it was natural that her being missing was being played up tempo by the press.
Police meanwhile goes wary of Nick as there were a lot of evidence showing that he may have killed Amy. Without a body, it was difficult for the Police to arrest Nick. Amy was very much alive and she created a story that would lead to Nick to killing her. So it was just a plot for Amy to get revenge on Nick who had a mistress for a year and a half.
Her plan was coming along fine when suddenly Amy got robbed and she's left penniless. She had to seek help from a friend to lie low. During this time, she managed to watch Nick who went on national television, being interviewed and asking Amy to come back and that he still loved her. Nick's message got to Amy and she changes her plans. In order for her to stage a comeback, she devises a plan that she was kidnapped and somehow escaped.
She went back to Nick but Nick saw to her plans. Amy eventually told the truth to Nick and he can't do anything about it. He wanted to leave Amy but he couldn't. Now he reluctantly stays with Amy with their child on the way.
First off, we liked how the story was written. Yes its a bit slow in pacing but it was critical in telling of the story. When she went missing early part of the film, we were wondering, what happened. There were bits and pieces telling us, did he kill her? Was he a good husband? Was she kidnapped? Then there was a mistress and some scenes of him being out of control. Pushing us telling us he has the reason to kill her. Then Amy pops up very much alive. What the hell?
Now we are trying to go into Amy's head, how did she arrived to this? How can a quiet wife able to orchestrate such a grand scheme? Who is now the victim? Each side has his and her story to tell. Throw in some media and lawyers in the mix, its a powder keg of humongous proportions. When Amy concocts the return plan, she killed, murdered a person to have that great comeback situation. Now we are afraid of her, Nick was afraid of her.
We now see her as the manipulative sociopath but wait, her return did wonders for Nick and his sister. Nick was exonerated of the non-existent crime, his business with her sister got famous, all their financial troubles are gone as they are now famous, and the Police can't touch her now. As Nick's lawyer aptly put it, "you should thank her".
This movie went past the theaters quick and did not get much attention to us when it was played, hell we admit, we didn't watch it. It was on Netflix so we got to watch it. Honestly we are wary if we see Ben Affleck on top billing. He is like a young Kevin Costner who broods on screen and not much facial expression. Acting is monotonous and we fall asleep when he delivers a long monologue on screen (we like him as that assassin in The Accountant - the only movie we liked with him in the title role). Maybe he would be like Costner who finally broke out of his mold when he got older. Many years to go for Affleck, we can wait.
Rosamund Pike suffers the same fate as Affleck. But her delivery here is good for her character. We would like to see her emotionless, and a woman with focus. There were some bits of her that should show her as the underdog and hurting, she passed them decently. We equated with her suffering of a wife seeing her husband with a younger mistress. Then calmly transforms herself as the revengeful one. Cold and heartless, we love how she manipulated her husband in the end.
We love more the story here rather than the actors and we got goosebumps near the end, when Nick wants to leave Amy. She simply brushed it off with "its what you call marriage" and he can't possibly leave her. Ohhhh that hit us with a cold blow to the head.
If you want a mind blowing story in a film, got to watch Gone Girl. We said its a movie with a slow pace but you have to think quick before it loses you.
Netflix guys. Netflix.
