[Freya-dæg] This Movie's Going, but not quite Gone

Plot Summary
The Good
The Bad
Judgment
Closing

Gone's movie poster from IMDb.}

The 2012 movie Gone is a curious, teen thriller – a mix of serious acting and general performance, and of overblown and interesting story telling.

Back to Top
Plot Summary

A young woman named Jill Parrish (Amanda Seyfried) is convinced that her sister (Emily Wickersham) has been abducted by the same man who abducted her earlier. She brings this to the police, but they don't believe her as after her own incident she was put into a mental hospital and could never describe her assailant. So, since she desperately wants to get her sister back and put an end to a killer on the loose, she sets out on her own to try and find her sister.

Back to Top
The Good

As far as thrillers go, this one is a little slow to start, but in the movie's final act the suspense is immense. This is true if you've ever driven down a lonely country road at night, with trees rushing by on either side, and the only side aside from crickets being the gradual crunch of the gravel under your wheels.

The way in which Jill goes around investigating her sister's abductor is also quite well done. It may not be the most believable, or the most realistic, but it's an interesting portrayal of the power of storytelling.

Much of the movie features Jill's going around town, essentially conducting a criminal investigation all on her own. But she doesn't just ask questions of those that she meets, she always introduces herself with a different story. And leading into questions with some sort of fabricated background detail (my bike was stolen, my grandma's car was stolen, my grandfather knows him, etc.) also does a lot to make you wonder about Jill's mental state.

However, it also might leave you with the unshakeable feeling that the scriptwriter, Allison Burnett, or producers, has a strong belief in the charm of blue eyed blondes.

Back to Top
The Bad

Gone's biggest flaw is that it pushes the boundaries of believability. Yes, a large part of any thriller is suspending your disbelief, but there's too much in this movie that makes it difficult to really take too seriously.

First, the premise that she doesn't remember the killer's face. We see several flashbacks to her time in the killer's clutches and in all of them his face is obscured in shadow or he's turned away. And it is possible that because of whatever mental condition she may or may not have, she's blocked this face out of her mind. But, since we're never really sure about her mental state, we're never really sure if she's just lying about being able to remember his face.

Further, the movie is supposed to take place over the course of a day. And though Jill doesn't range all over the country or state or county, she does a whole lot of traipsing about the city in one day. Almost as if she doesn't need to worry about transportation between her destinations. Like the ability to suspend disbelief itself, a small time frame is essential to a good thriller, but here it feels like she does in what's supposed to be one day, the work of two or three.

And, most damning of all, is the way the movie ends. Yes, this will contain spoilers, so just carry on to the Judgment if you'd rather skip them.

At the end of the movie Jill's sister is rescued, the man behind her kidnapping is killed, and Jill returns to as normal a life as she can. However, the movie's final scene shows an anonymous package being opened by one of the cops that Jill dealt with earlier and him looking over various photos of the women that had been killed by the man who abducted her.

We also see that this package includes a map showing where all of the bodies are. This is definitely great evidence for the police, and a big help to the law, but it suggests that she's either entirely selfless or entirely lacking foresight. She killed the man responsible for all of the crimes that the movie focuses on in the place marked on the map as well, and when they find his body they're going to wonder what caused him to be at the bottom of that pit and sorely burned.

Even though leading the police to the bodies might not lead to a conviction since Jill could cite self-defense, it still means that she'd be called into court and risk some jail time. Her murder of the movie's killer is definitely satisfying, but showing what happens next turns that sweet taste much too sour.

Back to Top
Judgment

Gone is a flawed movie with a story that is complete, but could use some solid direction. Is Jill mentally unwell or isn't she? If she was then why was she living alone? How did her case actually go when originally brought to the police after her initial abduction? Why are the police so reluctant to believe her? And what happened with the investigations into the other missing young women?

However, the suspense in the final act is genuine, and having the power of storytelling come to light throughout the movie really makes it an interesting thing to watch. It's flawed, but worthwhile.

So, Freya, drape down your hand and pull this one from the pit, it deserves a finer bed.

Back to Top

Closing

Next week, check back here for the fourth part in my five part series on North Korea and the media surrounding the Bombardment of Yeonpyeong, an opinion on some of the newest news, and a hunt for the good in another critically declaimed movie.

Back to Top