When Gone Girl swept into bookshops in 2012, it certainly made a huge splash and is acclaimed by many. After such success as a book, the next step, naturally, was to go to the silver screen. Just two years later, Gillian Flynn’s novel makes its big screen debut under the direction of David Fincher. The acclaimed filmmaker’s track record for bringing books to the big screen is second to none. For example, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and the Social Network. Fox has admirably avoided revealing the twists and turns of the story, so I will respect their secrecy and do my best to talk around any major reveals. If you fear you’ll be able to deduce what happens from my comments, I suggest you stop reading. I did not read Flynn’s 2012 New York Best-Seller, but nonetheless, Ben Affleck’s role as Nick Dunne who was the prime suspect in his wife Amy’s murder,  was convincing enough to grab the attention of, not only myself, but also the attention of millions of other Americans. Dunne is the ultimate smooth operator. Even in Amy’s journal, the moments that are meant to be sweet seem edged with a bit of tension thrown in for good measure. While the film has a decent supporting cast with Neil Patrick Harris, Kim Dickens, Tyler Perry and many others, the leads for “Gone Girl” are what sell the film. It’s nice to imagine Amy as perfect and innocent, which is actually quite sexist because we’d prefer to accept this one dimensional image of the ideal wife. There are two sides to every story, and both sides in Gone Girl are deeply, unrelentingly ugly. Actress Rosamund Pike pulls off a strong performance portraying Amy Dunne. I would recommend this movie for both personal pleasure and as a great choice for a date. This romantic thriller is a great movie.