Apparently I missed all the hype surrounding this movie. I came into it half-blind and was just expecting a decent mystery thriller. What I got was a classic film that kept me interested all the way through to the end.
Ben Affleck is clearly in the prime of his career and played the role of Nick perfectly. All of the supporting cast and co-star Rosamund Pike do amazing jobs with their characters as well. Trent Reznor's score is also a masterpiece as usual. All around the production is superb.
The plot is also intriguing and takes a new approach to a well-traveled genre. Even when predictable at times, the twists aren't made the focus. There are no "a-ha" moments, just "oh sh*t". The movie switches from mystery to thriller to psychological horror seamlessly, intertwined with elements of dark comedy. My main criticisms are really just two things; The abrupt ending which left me feeling hanging, but is forgivable since it makes for a solid horror element. And the character of Amy turning from passably human to glaring sociopath immediately following her reveal as a manipulative psychopath (despite speaking several times in front of an apparently detailingly observant and critical public).
I've read through several of the low score reviews on this site and it seems that most people who didn't like this movie because of the (supposed) plot holes simply weren't paying attention. Almost everything can be explained by a few key points:
1) Amy, while not being perfect in her methods, was very meticulous in her planning. She got Nick to take a walk on the beach alone in order for him to have no alibi for the time of her disappearance, and was very good at predicting the behavior of other people, as good sociopaths do. Nothing was done on a whim until she makes her first mistake and has to resort to desperate measures.
2) Amy was much more poetic in her plot than she was careful, and the police (particularly Rhonda) were always suspicious of the convenient evidence. Ultimately, the police only reacted on the solid evidence they had, and put the loose ends on the back burner. Then before they could really address them, the investigation quickly became outside of their control. Once Amy decidedly returned, she eliminated the suspicion of foul play on the part of Nick and everyone called it case closed. The loose ends didn't really have to be explained, and Amy just handwaved everyone with the tragedy of her kidnapping. (Side note: Amy saw her whole life as a fictional story, since her mother wrote her as one starting as a little child. She chased her fictional counterpart almost to the letter, and in adulthood decided to write her own story which she creates for the public. Her handwave is a commentary on the acceptance of the reader's suspension of disbelief.)
3) The press were camping outside of Nick's and Margo's houses. While Nick could occasionally sneak out on his own, this would have made it impossible to move all the "gifts" in the shed without anybody noticing.
4) None of the cameras at the lake house were pointed indoors, they were all security cameras watching potential points of entry. Amy knew this because she could see all of the cameras. This made it perfectly convenient for her to play it up for the cameras by scuffing up NPH's character and faking her rape. Her explanations for all of this is a bit farcical, and make up some of the dark comedy of the movie, but is not horribly outside the realm of possibility.
While I'm sure there are some legitimate plot holes, they were hidden well enough that it did not break the suspension of disbelief (at least for me). And for a genre almost comically characterized by ridiculous plot holes (see: basically every movie from the 90's) they did an extremely good job at covering these up. I employ those who had issues with the plot to go and watch the movie again and pay attention to the all-important details.
Ben Affleck is clearly in the prime of his career and played the role of Nick perfectly. All of the supporting cast and co-star Rosamund Pike do amazing jobs with their characters as well. Trent Reznor's score is also a masterpiece as usual. All around the production is superb.
The plot is also intriguing and takes a new approach to a well-traveled genre. Even when predictable at times, the twists aren't made the focus. There are no "a-ha" moments, just "oh sh*t". The movie switches from mystery to thriller to psychological horror seamlessly, intertwined with elements of dark comedy. My main criticisms are really just two things; The abrupt ending which left me feeling hanging, but is forgivable since it makes for a solid horror element. And the character of Amy turning from passably human to glaring sociopath immediately following her reveal as a manipulative psychopath (despite speaking several times in front of an apparently detailingly observant and critical public).
I've read through several of the low score reviews on this site and it seems that most people who didn't like this movie because of the (supposed) plot holes simply weren't paying attention. Almost everything can be explained by a few key points:
1) Amy, while not being perfect in her methods, was very meticulous in her planning. She got Nick to take a walk on the beach alone in order for him to have no alibi for the time of her disappearance, and was very good at predicting the behavior of other people, as good sociopaths do. Nothing was done on a whim until she makes her first mistake and has to resort to desperate measures.
2) Amy was much more poetic in her plot than she was careful, and the police (particularly Rhonda) were always suspicious of the convenient evidence. Ultimately, the police only reacted on the solid evidence they had, and put the loose ends on the back burner. Then before they could really address them, the investigation quickly became outside of their control. Once Amy decidedly returned, she eliminated the suspicion of foul play on the part of Nick and everyone called it case closed. The loose ends didn't really have to be explained, and Amy just handwaved everyone with the tragedy of her kidnapping. (Side note: Amy saw her whole life as a fictional story, since her mother wrote her as one starting as a little child. She chased her fictional counterpart almost to the letter, and in adulthood decided to write her own story which she creates for the public. Her handwave is a commentary on the acceptance of the reader's suspension of disbelief.)
3) The press were camping outside of Nick's and Margo's houses. While Nick could occasionally sneak out on his own, this would have made it impossible to move all the "gifts" in the shed without anybody noticing.
4) None of the cameras at the lake house were pointed indoors, they were all security cameras watching potential points of entry. Amy knew this because she could see all of the cameras. This made it perfectly convenient for her to play it up for the cameras by scuffing up NPH's character and faking her rape. Her explanations for all of this is a bit farcical, and make up some of the dark comedy of the movie, but is not horribly outside the realm of possibility.
While I'm sure there are some legitimate plot holes, they were hidden well enough that it did not break the suspension of disbelief (at least for me). And for a genre almost comically characterized by ridiculous plot holes (see: basically every movie from the 90's) they did an extremely good job at covering these up. I employ those who had issues with the plot to go and watch the movie again and pay attention to the all-important details.