The Affleck Boys Make a Movie: A Review of "Gone Baby Gone"

Last year a movie came out directed by the actor Ben Affleck. If you were like me, you probably groaned a little bit inwardly and wondered just how bad it was going to be. This is nothing against Mr. Affleck, but it's just kind of a perception we have grown to have of the guy. Personally, I did not hate his performance in "Daredevil" and felt he did fine in "Good Will Hunting" and that one he did with Samual L. Jackson. Still, he has done some real stinkers.

Then I heard he was going to have his younger brother, Casey, star in the lead role. Again, the eyes rolled and I wondered if maybe his cousins would fill in the remaining roles and his mother might cater and maybe his sister would do all of the hair and makeup. It was like the Affleck Family Movie Holiday, I figured.

"Gone Baby Gone" manages to completely dispell any reservations you may have had about Ben Affleck, the Affleck family or any fear you may have of lack of talent less than ten minutes into the film. This is a taught, stylish, exciting, gut-wrenching, well-acted, well-directed and powerful thriller and detective yarn that goes right along side some of the best Private Eye movies around, and I am a big fan of "The Maltese Falcon."

The movie is about two private detectives named Patrick Kenzie and his girlfriend and partner Angie Genarro. They are the stars of a series of novels written by the man who also gave us the novel "Mystic River" Dennis Lehane. They specialize in tracking down bail jumpers, but the city of Boston is electrified searching for a missing girl named Amanda. Amanda's mother has a lot of problems, not the least of which is being in deep trouble with a Haitian drug dealer who goes by the name of "Cheese." Helene McCready is the mother and she is portrayed by Amy Ryan who received an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of a woman whose life in out of control, but she still has enough of her mother's instinct to want her baby back. Her sister-in-law and her brother hire Patrick and Angie to work with the police and "augment" the investigation. They think Patrick and Angie may know the neighborhood better than the police, and they are correct.

It seems like a very straightforard plot. Girl is missing, detectives are hired to help the police find her. Then things begin to unravel and then you had better just hold on for the ride. This is a movie that is going to take more twists and turns than your average roller coaster, and none of the revelations can be seen coming down the street like so many movies that try the twist ending thing these days. This is a well-crafted and well-acted movie.

The list of celebrities in this movie is impressive. In addition to Amy Ryan, you have Amy Madigan and Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman and John Ashton. At the center of it all is the baby-faced Casey Affleck and his performance is understated, quiet, and completely and utterly riveting. He holds the center of this film perfectly. Ben Affleck, meanwhile, behind the camera, shows a real talent for letting his actors do what they do best. He knows he has a stellar crew here and he lets them act. He doesn't try to get fancy with the camera and do a lot of fast cutting and shoving the camera into people's faces. There is no hand-held running around with the camera in this movie.

Ben Affleck also took a hand in writing and adapting the script. You may have forgotten that it was Ben and Matt Damon who both wrote the Academy Award winning screenplay for "Good Will Hunting." He shows here that he really does know how to write. I cannot think of a moment where this film really misses a step. It had me guessing throughout. At times it had me smiling. Many times it had me on the edge of my seat. More than a few times I was on the edge of my seat, with my hand up to my mouth gasping in suspense and surprise.

The city of Boston has never looked more seedy and, at the same time, somehow beautiful, as it does in this picture. The cityscapes here are dazzling, but the people who inhabit the streets these cops and detectives prowl are the lowest common denominator of just about any film. Even the heroes in this movie have dirt on them, lurking just beneath the surface.

I love a good detective movie. I love when they can surprise me. This movie did that and more. It drew me in and then it took me on a great ride. I kept guessing until the last minute. It doesn't have the happiest of endings, but it isn't quite as thunderously depressing as "Mystic River" either.

The movie is now on DVD and available through various cable systems on OnDemand. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Amy Ryan is hardly on the screen, but you see why she got her nomination. It turns out Ben Affleck may have the talent behind the camera, while his younger brother may have serious acting chops. Well done.