You can understand why Dark Places is frequently compared and contrasted with Gone Girl. Both films were adaptions of Gillian Flynn best sellers, both were released pretty much within a year of one another and both feature plenty of flashbacks. But that's where the similarities end. Gone Girl had David Fincher directing and Dark Places has Gilles Paquet-Brenner directing ... and that's the big difference between the films. Fincher is a master director, whereas Paquet-Brenner is mainly known for his French TV work.
The first act of Dark Places drags too long. It's no surprise that Charlize Theron's Libby Day will begin investigating the murder of her mother, two sisters and the subsequent imprisonment of her brother Ben. But why does it take so long to get started? And meanwhile, Libby presents as such an unlikeable character, that we don't really care anyway. It's almost seems that Paquet - Brenner realises too late, that he's made Libby too unsympathetic. Towards the latter half of the picture, he seems to scrub her up better, but by that time, it's almost too late.
The narrative itself though is quite compelling and does gradually tend to pull you in. This storyline is enhanced by some very good performances. Christine Hendricks is fantastic as the ill - fated, mother Patty, as is Corey Stoll as the adult jailbird brother Ben. And though he's only in barely 3 scenes, Sean Bridgers, playing divorced father Runner Day, succeeds in creating a truly evil character.
Then just when we think perhaps Paquet - Brenner has redeemed himself, leading us to a taut third act where all will be revealed, we get served up the opposite. A confusing, darkened mish - mash of poorly.edited, differing time periods causing the audience to have to guess at what just happened. It's like the film is fatally uncertain of its identity, as it withdraws into an almost TV film of the week mode, played out with an unneeded extended coda.
With Gone Girl, David Fincher was able to take a similar neo-noir narrative and give it a slick, stylistic work up. But ultimately Paquet - Brenner just never seems to have full confidence in his story - telling abilities. The overall elements never come together in any meaningful way. There's potential there to be sure, but while it goes through the motions, that's all it ever does.
The first act of Dark Places drags too long. It's no surprise that Charlize Theron's Libby Day will begin investigating the murder of her mother, two sisters and the subsequent imprisonment of her brother Ben. But why does it take so long to get started? And meanwhile, Libby presents as such an unlikeable character, that we don't really care anyway. It's almost seems that Paquet - Brenner realises too late, that he's made Libby too unsympathetic. Towards the latter half of the picture, he seems to scrub her up better, but by that time, it's almost too late.
The narrative itself though is quite compelling and does gradually tend to pull you in. This storyline is enhanced by some very good performances. Christine Hendricks is fantastic as the ill - fated, mother Patty, as is Corey Stoll as the adult jailbird brother Ben. And though he's only in barely 3 scenes, Sean Bridgers, playing divorced father Runner Day, succeeds in creating a truly evil character.
Then just when we think perhaps Paquet - Brenner has redeemed himself, leading us to a taut third act where all will be revealed, we get served up the opposite. A confusing, darkened mish - mash of poorly.edited, differing time periods causing the audience to have to guess at what just happened. It's like the film is fatally uncertain of its identity, as it withdraws into an almost TV film of the week mode, played out with an unneeded extended coda.
With Gone Girl, David Fincher was able to take a similar neo-noir narrative and give it a slick, stylistic work up. But ultimately Paquet - Brenner just never seems to have full confidence in his story - telling abilities. The overall elements never come together in any meaningful way. There's potential there to be sure, but while it goes through the motions, that's all it ever does.