'Gone Girl': Critics praise thriller flick—and Ben Affleck's acting

While Ben Affleck’s reputation as a director is unimpeachable, his acting career never fully recovered from early 2000s stumbles like “Daredevil” and “Gigli.” That may change with director David Fincher’s highly anticipated thriller “Gone Girl.” The first reviews of are in, and they’re largely glowing, with many of the critics heaping praise on the performances of Affleck and his co-star Rosamund Pike.

I never thought I’d write these words, but [Affleck] carries the movie. He’s terrific.

David Edelstein, Vulture.com writer

The film is a searing portrait of marriage, as the twists and turns take the audience into the dark heart of a seemingly perfect relationship. Fincher has said that he cast Affleck because of his smile in press photos, which perhaps seemed like he was trying to telegraph something he didn’t really feel.

You look at [those photos] and know he’s trying to make people comfortable in the moment, but by doing that he’s making himself vulnerable to people having other perceptions about him.

David Fincher, director

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