Gone Baby Gone

When I went into the theater to see Gone Baby Gone, Casey Affleck was not what I pictured when I read Dennis Lehane's Patrick Kenzie novels. But he won me over and will now forever be Kenzie as far as I'm concerned.

Gone Baby Gone is a tough and gritty movie about a child abduction and the lives it destroys. You can see the end coming a little too early in the movie, but it's still fascinating watching Kenzie slog through a lot of awful stuff before you get there. Ben Affleck has proved that he can direct a movie with the best of them. There was nothing slack or boring for the entire running time, and the ending will give you something to argue about over dinner after watching the movie.

The best detective movie I've seen in a while.

It's become a hobby of mine this past year to watch IMDb's top 250, AFI's top 100 and all Oscar winning (and most nominated) films. I've seen over 100 films in just the past year alone, but I am struggling to think of a film that I enjoyed more.

The performances are outstanding. All of the characters- including the city itself - are filled with depth and ambiguity. Like a previous post mentioned, Amy Ryan did a phenomenal job as Helene, not only do I know many people like her, I'm related to some. I didn't even recognize her from her wonderful performance in the Wire.

The questions that this movie asks as it unfolds do not get answered in by the closing credits, and they still aren't answered as I type. Who was right? Is there a right answer? Morgan Freeman- the greatest actor alive- and Ed Harris give standard upper echelon performances. But I was surprised by Michelle Monaghan and especially Casey Affleck. He didn't flinch, and he didn't compromise his ideals, but in the end compromised nonetheless. I hope he gets a nomination.

Ben Affleck lost my favor somewhere around the time he began to cry in Armageddon, and I haven't taken him seriously since. But his achievement here, the pace, the mood, the spot on capturing of the desolate neighborhood, and the overall story leads me to anxiously await his next directorial effort.

The best film I've seen in years.

I would consider myself to be a movie buff and I live and grew up in Massachusetts. I must tell you that Ben Affleck has done an outstanding job in his directorial debut. In casting his brother Casey you may think that it's just nepotism or giving his brother a break. No. He is the absolute perfect person to play this role. Because they know the area they have made one of the most authentic movies I've ever seen. And it's not just some Boston movie either. I heard a woman as I was leaving saying it's just like The Departed. No it's not, it's much better and the fact is, I loved The Departed. But that was flashier. As great as it was you could tell people were acting. Not here. They seemed exactly like the degenerates and handful of decent folk I see every day of my life. The woman who plays the girl's mother, I don't know who see is, but I've met her about 1000 times.

As far as the story goes I'd never spoil it for you but it's complex, not confusing. There is a lot going on and it's so real. I don't know what's happened in this area but people have become so lousy. So lousy that if you're a good person you just don't know what can be done anymore. There seems to be no answer sometimes and this film is set in that world. If you have the brains and heart to try you don't even know what will come of it.

Who should see this? Intelligent people. People who want to come out of a movie thinking about what they just saw. People who want to see an incredibly well made film. And anyone who ever liked Ben Affleck even for half a second. He should be very proud of this movie. As far as content there are loads of curse words, some drug use, but no nudity that I can remember, and there is some gun violence, but nothing too bad. Put it high on your movie going list.

I had wanted to see this movie for sometime now. I have finally gotten to see it and can tell you it is no disappointment. This movie had a particular touch that gave a genuine and authentic feeling to it. Ben Affleck has a way of writing about life on the streets in Boston that just grabs you. Good Will Hunting was a fine example of that but Gone Baby Gone displayed his directing abilities as well. This movie appeared that it could fall apart any second but yet the story held up and managed to get its message out. Ben Affleck seems to be very creative and knows how to get your attention right when he want you to.

I had not expected Casey Affleck to play as well either because there were so many compliments made toward his performance I expected something totally different. Yet he also brought this authenticity in his acting like Ben did in his directing. Youn could just see the look in his eyes that he was totally into it, he was it. He gave a great portrayal of a detective that should have earned him an Oscar nomination. Also a great supporting cast was put in place with Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris and Amy Ryan. All of them gave engaging performances as well. Amy Ryan especially with her performance as the mother of her girl who is the centerpiece of this story. I believe if it was not for her this movie could have very easily fallen into an ordinary movie.

What really made up the movie was the message. After all what is a movie without a message. This movie did not try to pretend to be deep or try to impress. It did what it had to do, asking the a very tough question. Is the right thing to do always the right decision to make and do the ends justify the means? I advise you not to miss this movie and definitely watch this with a friend or family member.

It is now largely forgotten that Ben Affleck's big break was not as an actor in but as a writer of "Good Will Hunting". His career has never lived up to the promise of his performance in that film (a quiet and subtle display) and has been overshadowed by the success of his friend and co-Oscar-winner, Matt Damon. With "Gone Baby Gone", Affleck moves back behind the camera, directing and writing, whilst his brother Casey, who really impressed in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford", takes the lead.

The film is a gritty thriller at first, with a quite masterful opening which is engrossing and effective. The sense of location is evident from the start and both Afflecks demonstrate their talents. Casey is an interesting screen presence, and Ben is an unfussy director with an eye for location and images.

The film is served well be the stellar cast. Ed Harris is very good, as is Michelle Monaghan and the Oscar nominated Amy Ryan is fantastic, whilst Morgan Freeman is Morgan Freeman, which is nice. They do make the film easy to watch, even though the subject matter, focussing on child abduction, is difficult to deal with.

However, although the subject matter is treated well throughout most of the film, its fatal flaw is that it lets itself go in the third act. The plot twists and turns three times toward the end to lose nearly all credibility and then loses any that it had left by landing on a truly unbelievable conclusion. Its focus on character is not lost, but it is still a disappointment to see such a tightly played drama unwind at the end.

Nevertheless, this film has much promise. Its subject matter should be a consideration for anyone who is thinking of seeing this, but it is an intelligent and interesting film which is worth watching, mainly because of what it might be the precursor of.