Gone Baby Gone

Review By Matthew Rodgers

The poster for this assured and soul searchingly haunting drama could have easily read “from the star of Surviving Christmas and the multi-razzie award winning Gigli” but that would of course been a marketing nightmare. It’s a shame then that Ben Affleck’s comeback (after a revelatory performance in Hollywoodland) and directorial debut was yanked from release by its own distribution dilemma for coinciding with the strikingly similar case of missing Brit, Madeline McGann. There is no denying it adds emotional resonance (particularly due to the facial similarity of the young actress) but that said, as a self contained movie Gone Baby Gone is a gripping morality tale that acts as a sign of things to come from the Brothers Affleck.

4 year old Amanda McCready disappears from home under the less-than-vigilant gaze of her mother, Helene (Amy Ryan) prompting police searches and community unrest as local investigative duo Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck – The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) and Angie Gennero (Michelle Monaghan – Heartbreak Kid) use their limited experience to infiltrate drug gangs, paedophile rings on the road to the mutha of all moral dilemmas.

GBG is the making of Casey Affleck, perhaps more-so than his Oscar nominated turn as Robert Ford here he is the emotional fulcrum, sharing the same understated inhibitions as the would-be assassin here he elicits the confidence of an actor finding his platform, in particular during the scenes that require an explosion of the cocksure, smart-mouthed and passionate street-kid that bubbles beneath his surface of cool as he is consumed by a need to do right.

His older brother has also called in a few rolodex favours with the ensemble cast snagging Harris and Freeman who bring the expected gravitas to their world-weary roles, but it is the breakout of Amy Ryan who was Oscar nominated for this role as the irresponsible mother that strikes a chord to mirror the movie as a whole; Raw, bleak and honest in portraying a character that could have so easily become the finger-pointing bad guy, anyone familiar with her work on HBO’s The Wire will not be surprised.

And in what could be seen as a bit of a Daredevil move (geddit?) Affleck takes the gamble of stepping behind the lens to adapt Dennis Lehane’s critically acclaimed novel, the result is it pays off in spades with Affleck’s mature handling of the subject matter and set pieces; the raid on the child abuse home is tension ridden and sensitively executed in equal amounts. With the story playing out against the backdrop of his childhood playground, Boston, he lovingly frames the city that shaped him to story enhancing effect.

Released amongst a slew of big budget heavy hitters Gone Baby Gone will be a rarity in that it will make you think long after the credits have rolled. Go Baby Go and see it now!