I was soooo reluctant to see Gone Girl. I thought I’d seen it before – I was wrong. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a movie that is this engaging. It’s a suspense thriller and it goes places you don’t expect. Husband, wife, sister and inquisitive police detective. Sounds pretty standard, right? Here’s how this story goes…

Story: The movie feels like its over about a third of the way in. The writers do a good job of steering the viewer in the wrong direction. Stay with it. The story picks up mid way and that’s where it REALLY begins.

The revelation in this film is the questions. The more questions everyone asks, the crazier this story gets. No one ends up where they expect. No one. Brilliant.

Performances: Ben Affleck plays the husband in question. Nothing so spectacular there, but, he holds his own. Rosamond Pike plays the wife in this film. She’s getting nominated for an Oscar. We’ll have to see the rest of the field for a determination on a winner, but, she is for sure getting nominated.

Like the rest of the film in the beginning, I was scratching my head wondering why so much talk about her performance. Then the STORY kicks in and that is that. Nomination.

Tyler Perry as the husband’s lawyer and Carrie Coon as the twin sister fill in the blanks as characters. But, there are two other standouts – Kim Dickens as the investigating detective and Neil Patrick Harris as the wife’s ex. The two add a spice to the story that make the quiet parts more colorful. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them gets nominated for best supporting…

Visual: NYC looks like NYC and suburban St. Louis looks like the mid-west. But, its the amenities and the trappings of their lifestyles that distinguish the characters. The visual in this story is the class system. The snobs appear and turn up their noses… The thieves steal…. The police convict before anyone is arrested and the public passes judgement. Every element of the class system is on display. Spot on…

Rating: A-. This is a really, really good film. Well made, but, you have to relax and be patient to appreciate it. Go see this film and leave everything else on your mind at the door. It demands your undivided attention. Then give yourself some time to regroup. It will leave you wondering…