Excellent, and a great directorial debut for Ben Affleck

Rating: 8/10 (3 January 2010)

Ben Affleck has taken a lot of criticism in recent years; kudos to him for staying in the fight. Here he makes his directorial debut in "Gone Baby Gone," and takes a hand in the screenplay with Aaron Stockard. The story's pedigree is excellent, as it's based on a book by the author of "Mystic River," Dennis Lehane.
Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan are private investigators in Dorchester, Massachusetts, who are hired by the family of a kidnapped four-year-old girl. Though the police are on the case, it's felt that these two have some good connections and can get people to talk. It turns out to be a much more complicated situation than they realized, and comes down to, finally, a moral dilemma for the detectives.
Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris are the law here and give excellent performances, as does the low-key Affleck, who plays his role very realistically. Monaghan is very good with him, and their conflict is an interesting one that you'll be giving quite a bit of thought about after you see this film.
Having watched a lot of Nancy Grace, I don't have any doubt what I would do, but everyone will come away with a different opinion, I think. Truly a stunning film, murky, and capturing the working class atmosphere of Dorchester and the society we live in, where there are no easy answers anymore, if there ever were.