An adaptation of the book of the same name, whose screenplay also happened to be penned by the author of the original novel, Gone Girl emerged as another bonafide success for director David Fincher - both critically and commercially. And what could have ended up as confused and convoluted (thanks to an inherently twisty narrative) felt immensely watchable in Fincher's capable hands. Given the nature of its plot, then, and a narrative built around the idea of not one, but two unreliable narrators, Gone Girl stands proudly as a picture you certainly need to go back and revisit at least twice - if only to work out where all the cruel deception and mean motives are coming from, and whether or not you ended up siding with the right character when the credits came rolling. Because Gone Girl leaves viewers in a sort of "Did that really happen?" haze; it's not entirely clear after a single viewing what, exactly, transpired for the length of the picture. Who was telling the truth? Who got away with the most? Going back to Gone Girl, its twist apparent, makes for a different - but still entirely satisfying - viewing experience. You'll notice things - small things - that you didn't notice before.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
