Gone Girl has gone on to become one of David Fincher’s most intricate thrillers. Based on the novel by Gillian Flynn, the nonlinear story follows the mysterious disappearance of author Amy Elliott Dunne (Rosamund Pike) and the fallout experienced by her husband Nick (Ben Affleck). Everything about Amy’s vanishing looks to everyone else like a murder by Nick considering the blood at the scene of the crime and the suspicious nature of how the house appears. While Nick deals with the media surrounding him for answers, Amy sets off on a new adventure. The film was an engrossing picture for how it drew attention to and criticised the nature of gender roles, dangerous relationships, media perceptions, and contorting lies in plain sight. It’s not only one of Fincher’s longest films but also one of his most vicious in tackling social decay. For being such a profound film, some viewers may be seeking more after the credits role. Here are ten more films to consider if you’re seeking more movies in the same realm as Gone Girl
The Invisible Man
As a modern update of the classic Universal movie monster, Elizabeth Moss plays a woman who is trapped in a relationship with her abusive husband. Though she manages to escape his estate after a dangerous exodus, she still hasn’t seen the last of her ex. Thanks to his developments in cloaking technology, she is continually haunted and gaslit into believing that she is losing her mind, as her dangerous ex-husband lurks in the shadows, causing chaos and murder with the blame all being traced back to her. Directed by Leigh Whannell (Insidious, Upgrade), this thrilling horror tale of a woman wronged features a powerful performance by Moss as well as Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer, Michael Dorman, and Oliver Jackson-Cohen.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Based on the best-selling novel series by Stieg Larsson, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo follows one woman’s brutal path of revenge and a journalist devoted to exposing corruption. Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) plays a hacker and vigilante who has a darker view of the world after having been sexually abused. Surviving the experience has hardened her cause to find other sexual abusers and punish them with vicious violence. Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is a disgraced journalist who seeks to work alongside her in her quest for vengeance and bringing to light evils of a hidden world. As another strong thriller directed by David Fincher, the film additionally features the talents of Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgård, Steven Berkoff, Robin Wright, Yorick van Wageningen, and Joely Richardson.
Fight Club
Perhaps one of David Fincher’s most iconically cerebral films ever made has to be that of Fight Club. Edward Norton plays a man who finds himself lost and depressed, wandering around the modern world looking for meaning in his life. He soon meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), a mysterious man who breaks him out of his ordinary consumerist lifestyle. They soon join a secret club of men who take out their aggressions and escape their boring lives. But Norton’s character may find himself falling down a mental rabbit hole the more he finds out about Tyler and the underground world he occupies. Based on the novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk, this richly contemplative and trippy drama went onto a cult status for being so visually alluring and mentally engrossing. The film additionally stars Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf, and Jared Leto.
Zodiac
Another strong thriller from Fincher (last one, promise), is the crime story of Zodiac, based on the true-crime tale of the Zodiac killer. Taking place mostly between the 1960s and 1970s, the mysterious Zodiac killer eludes detectives and reporters who struggle to find any clues or whereabouts to who may be behind such brutal killings. The mission to find the killers becomes all the more troubling and hopeless as the trail goes cold the pursuers start to crumble as their lives fall apart amid their investigations. As a slow-burn thriller, Zodiac touches on the anxieties that come with such a long-running case which turns up nothing. The film also boasts an astounding ensemble cast that includes Mark Ruffalo Jake Gyllenhaal Robert Downey Jr. Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox, Elias Koteas, Donal Logue, John Carroll Lynch, and Dermot Mulroney.
Nightcrawler
If Gone Girl was only a mildly scathing critique of media perceptions in broadcast news, Nightcrawler goes the extra mile in showcasing the inhumanity of a profession that relies on provocation. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Louis Bloom as a man wandering about Los Angeles seeking any means of making money. When happening upon a news crew, he discovers there’s work in videotaping footage of crime scenes and accidents. Louis proceeds to buy a camera and a computer, setting about to capture the most exclusive and gruesome of footage to make the news stations bid for his videos. But the career Louis pursues becomes increasingly dangerous to the point where Louis tries to get ahead of the curve and prepare to shoot crimes not only as they happen but before they occur. Written and directed by Dan Gilroy, this is a scathing critique of local news media and how rules are broken to become the top earner. The supporting cast includes Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, and Bill Paxton.
Inherent Vice
Based on the trippy novel by acclaimed author Thomas Pynchon, Inherent Vice is a wild and free wheeling neo-noir crime picture that dabbles in aspects of overlapping mysteries and absurd humor. Set in 1970s Los Angeles, Larry “Doc” Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) is a down-and-out stoner who finds himself tasked with the mission of protecting somebody from being forced into a mental institution. But his mission becomes all the stranger as he starts drifting about the city, encountering all manner of stoners and mysterious figures with odd intentions. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (The Master, There Will Be Blood), the film stumbles all around in weird directions with the aimless pursuit of a stoner high. The all-star cast includes Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Katherine Waterston, Reese Witherspoon, Benicio del Toro, Martin Short, Jena Malone, and Joanna Newsom.
Nocturnal Animals
Reality and fiction bleed over each other in this surreal nightmare of a thriller by director Tom Ford. The film concerns a Los Angeles art-gallery owner who finds herself feeling more alone than ever as her husband is traveling. But then she receives a manuscript that was written by her first husband, who she hasn’t seen in years. She read the story of a teacher who goes on a trip that takes a tragic and violent turn. Both stories are told at the same time as the owner struggles to come to terms with her past. A mixture of both melodrama and nightmarish imagination, this surreal neo-noir thriller with psychological allure features an all-star cast that includes Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer, Laura Linney, Andrea Riseborough, and Michael Sheen.
Prisoners
As one of the grittiest and tragic films by director Denis Villeneuve (Sicario, Arrival), Prisoners asks the harsh question of how far one man would go for justice. Taking place in Pennsylvania, Hugh Jackman plays Keller Dover, a father with a 6-year-old daughter. When his daughter goes missing, Keller starts to panic and become desperate for answers. The local detective Loki, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, tries to help solve the case by arresting the possible suspect of a motorhome driver played by Paul Dano. But when not enough evidence is present for his conviction, the driver is let go. That’s when Keller decides to take the law into his own hands to get his daughter back.
Basic Instinct
Considered one of the most quintessential of erotic thrillers, Basic Instinct mixes titillating allure with dangerous thriller elements. Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) is a crime novelist who is just mysterious enough to become a prime suspect in the murder case of a rock star. Homicide detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) is hoping he can crack this case but isn’t prepared for how deep he’s willing to go when the murders become all the more complicated. Directed by Paul Verhoeven (Showgirls, Starship Troopers) and written by Joe Eszterhas (Showgirls), this combination of neo-noir and erotic thriller elements additionally stars George Dzundza, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Wayne Knight.
Gone Baby Gone
Not to be confused with Gone Girl, Gone Baby Gone is an exceptional crime thriller directed by Ben Affleck. Taking place in a Boston suburb, Helene McCready finds that her daughter is missing. Private detective Patrick Kenzie is called on to investigate this disappearance but his police chief thinks it’s highly unlikely he’ll turn up anything substantial in this case. Too much time has passed and there are too many suspects to consider when Patrick finds his past is catching up with him. This stirring thriller is based on the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane and stars the talents of Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, John Ashton, Amy Ryan, Amy Madigan, and Titus Welliver.
