Gripping and haunting to strengthen the complexity of American crime.

Rating: Null/10 (7 March 2015)

Ben Affleck turns the tides and surprisingly delivers a wonderful directorial debut by adapting Dennis Lehane's novel into a new American crime classic. Ben uses his little brother Casey to play Patrick, a detective who with his girlfriend Angie (Michelle Monaghan)investigates the disappearance of a young girl who mysteriously vanished from her lazy, drunken mother played with a pitch-perfect Boston accent by Amy Ryan. This story is familiar turf. What Affleck does with this familiarity is turn it into a mind-bending and heartbreaking thriller with intense information about a compelling crime case, and give an in depth analysis of maternity and doing the right thing. Casey gives a knock-out performance and we get strong supporting work from old timers Ed Harris and Morgan Freedman, and especially from the shockingly talented Amy Ryan. By portraying the hardship of industrial and working-class America in the streets of Boston, we come across terrifying and sometimes just plain old ugly Bostonians who all have something to do with the case. Not only does this film end different than you'll expect, it provokes your senses and leaves you filled with wonder and really takes a big fat piece out of your spirit. It's hauntingly chilling and effective while resolving some conflict but implying a long hardship of absence from perfection. By not trying to hard and not giving bogus dialogue or a lousy climax, Ben Affleck proves he is better suited fro behind the camera than in front of it (no offense Ben). He's not doing anything legendary with his direction, but he's giving a hardcore, f-bomb filled story light. By focusing on the internal and external aspects of Patrick's situation, "Gone Baby Gone" truly deserves to be recalled years from now as a life-lesson sort of film and a shocking new look at the American crime system. Moral questions to play with coming your way!