Rafael "Parker!!" Jovine’s review published on Letterboxd:
Action! - Three Auteurs: The Perfectionist Fincher
And so does the first part of my Feb marathon has come to an end (I’m not reviewing again Mank), and we are ending with a bang. I couldn’t find House of Cards and Mindhunter here, but as for both shows as a whole they are both 4/5 (last season of House was a complete letdown and the whole approach with interviewing criminals was great, though I would have loved some actual violence in display – very psychological for me.)
Onto this movie, while its clear it couldn’t dethrone Se7en out of my list, it still an awesome movie in many ways. From the haunting score by Reznor and Ross (my second best collab with Fincher, Social is the king of the top for me) that helps setting the mood on every scene, either serving as a replacement of the cinematic language like on those first flashbacks where it makes everything feel so dreamy, which helps to let audiences know the nature of the relationship between our couple but also serve as those cloudy color correction or effects used to let you know this indeed happening in the past. But at the same time, in many ways, by doing this, it enhances the psychological aspects of each character – so the score is both climatic and thematic.
The direction by Fincher is once again really great as he channels both his previous work and trademarks he’s been building throughout the years, especially through the editing and cinematography, while also channeling directors such as Hitchcock and Paul Verhoeven.
And last, but not least, what puts this movie in such a high ground for me is the amazing performance by Rosamund Pike, who hasn’t been better before or after this imho. I haven’t seen Still Alice so can’t say if she deserved that Oscar over Pike, but I will go on a limp and argue she was probably not. Oh well. Either way, along with her, everyone else in here do a great job delivering every emotional (or lack of) punch with many people hating on Ben Affleck, his casting here was just perfect.
All in all, an often soapy but always intriguing mystery thriller stacked with both great performances and a large dose of suspense in equal measures.
Now, on for tomorrow, where the next auteur shall be revealed. Now, anyone knows how to sample a movie without getting a copyright strike? 😉
TODAY SCHEDULE
The Tunnel
Anthony Jeselnik: Thoughts and Prayers
Gone Girl
Trainspotting 2
