Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- Score: 7.8/10
- Year: 2011
- Type: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
- Director: David Fincher
- Actors: Stellan Skarsgård, Christopher Plummer, Rooney Mara, Daniel Craig
- Duration: 158 minutes
Summary:
A wealthy patriarch hires investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) to solve his niece’s decades-old disappearance. They unearth a sinister and unsettling mystery connected to Sweden’s elite with the aid of Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a talented but unstable hacker. Their own lives are at risk as they delve farther.
The best-selling novel by Stieg Larsson has been adapted by David Fincher into a riveting, stylish thriller that is full of violent intensity and unexpected surprises. The film’s harsh tone is enhanced by Rooney Mara’s unvarnished and brave portrayal of Lisbeth. Similar to Gone Girl, this film examines pain, deceit, and the evil that lurks beneath a society that seems to be honorable.
Zodiac (2007)
- Score: 7.7/10
- Year: 2007
- Type: Crime, Thriller, Mystery
- Director: David Fincher
- Actors: Anthony Edwards, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal
- Duration: 157 minutes
Summary:
Zodiac, which is based on true events, investigates the notorious Zodiac Killer, who terrorized San Francisco in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) develops an obsession with deciphering the murderer’s cryptic messages, while detective Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and journalist Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) follow leads that only serve to further the mystery.
A terrifying sense of realism is produced by the film’s slow-burning plot and painstaking attention to detail. Similar to Gone Girl’s examination of media and manipulation, Zodiac is a profound examination of obsession and the price of pursuing the truth, even though it doesn’t have a conventional conclusion.
The Girl on the Train (2016)
- Score: 6.5/10
- Year: 2016
- Type: Drama, Thriller, Mystery
- Director: Tate Taylor
- Actors: Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Emily Blunt, Justin Theroux
- Duration: 112 minutes
Summary:
A struggling alcoholic named Rachel Watson (Emily Blunt) obsesses over a seemingly ideal pair she sees on her daily train commute. She becomes involved in a missing-person case after witnessing something startling one day.
Rachel becomes a prime suspect and an untrustworthy witness since her drinking causes her memory to become hazy. The Girl on the Train is a compelling psychological thriller that examines themes of trauma, gaslighting, and self-destruction. Although the plot isn’t as complex as in Gone Girl, the unreliable narrator and themes of deceit create an equally tense atmosphere.
Sharp Objects (2018) – TV Mini-Series
- Score: 8.1/10
- Year: 2018
- Type: Drama, Thriller, Mystery
- Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
- Actors: Chris Messina, Patricia Clarkson, Eliza Scanlen, Amy Adams
- Episodes: 8 (~60 minutes each)
Summary:
Sharp Objects, which is based on the book by Gillian Flynn, follows journalist Camille Preaker (Amy Adams) as she goes back to her small hometown to investigate the murders of two young children. While discovering sinister secrets about her family and the community, Camille battles her own tragic background, self-harm, and a domineering mother.
With its unsettling suspense and breathtaking photography, the series is a slow-burning psychological thriller. It has a seriously flawed female lead with unexpected turns that have a lasting effect, much like Gone Girl.
Side Effects (2013)
- Score: 7.1/10
- Year: 2013
- Type: Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Director: Steven Soderbergh
- Actors: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum
- Duration: 106 minutes
Summary:
After battling depression, Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara) is given a prescription for a novel experimental medication. But a startling incident causes psychological and legal mayhem, with psychiatrist Dr. Banks (Jude Law) caught in the middle.
As the narrative progresses, deceit and hidden agendas are revealed, resulting in a complex manipulative conundrum. Similar to how Gone Girl analyzes marriage and media impact, Side Effects is a clever thriller that delves into the shadowy side of the pharmaceutical industry.
Gone Baby Gone (2007)
- Score: 7.6/10
- Year: 2007
- Type: Crime, Thriller, Mystery
- Director: Ben Affleck
- Actors: Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, Michelle Monaghan, Casey Affleck
- Duration: 114 minutes
Summary:
Private investigators Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) are brought in to help the police investigate the disappearance of a little child in a Boston neighborhood.
They have to make tough decisions as they come across corruption, narcotics, and ethical quandaries. Like Gone Girl, Gone Baby Gone is a morally complicated thriller that raises important questions about how justice and truth are not always clear-cut.
Nocturnal Animals (2016)
- Score: 7.5/10
- Year: 2016
- Type: Mystery, Thriller, Drama
- Director: Tom Ford
- Actors: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Michael Shannon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Adams
- Duration: 116 minutes
Summary:
Susan Morrow (Amy Adams), the owner of an art gallery, receives a manuscript from her ex-husband Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal). The novel’s violent and gloomy plot reflects their failed marriage. Her past regrets and secrets come to light as she reads, fusing fact and fantasy.
Similar to how Gone Girl experiments with narrative viewpoints, Nocturnal Animals is a visually stunning, intensely psychological thriller that examines heartbreak, revenge, and artistic expression.
A Simple Favor (2018)
- Score: 6.8/10
- Year: 2018
- Type: Thriller, Mystery, Comedy
- Director: Paul Feig
- Actors: Henry Golding, Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick
- Duration: 117 minutes
Summary:
Mommy blogger Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) makes friends with the glitzy but enigmatic Emily (Blake Lively). Stephanie’s research into Emily’s abrupt disappearance reveals startling revelations.
A Simple Favor is a chic, lighthearted retelling of the Gone Girl narrative, with a mysterious female protagonist and unexpected turns that combine mystery and dark comedy.
The Invisible Man (2020)
- Score: 7.1/10
- Year: 2020
- Type: Sci-Fi, Horror, Thriller
- Director: Leigh Whannell
- Actors: Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Aldis Hodge, Elisabeth Moss
- Duration: 124 minutes
Summary:
After leaving a terrible relationship, Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) thinks her apparently deceased boyfriend, a wealthy scientist, is stalking her. She struggles to demonstrate that she is not going insane as the unsettling happenings intensify. The themes of psychological manipulation, gaslighting, and an assertive female lead taking charge of her story are all present in The Invisible Man.
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