a good, sturdy directorial debut for Affleck; brother Casey comes into his own playing a tough Shamus

Rating: 7/10 (28 October 2007)

Gone Baby Gone is only the second adaptation of a Dennis Lehane novel, and while it's going to probably be the consensus for most (including myself) that the first, Mystic River, is much better. But it might be a bit hasty to compare a film like Eastwood's to one like Ben Affleck's, as it's also his first time at the director's chair for a feature. On the terms Affleck sets it up though it's a more than credible effort. His film takes the story of an investigation into the disappearance/murder of a little Bostonian girl, and the troubles of a Detective (Casey Affleck) who can't seem to wrap his head around the holes in the story as it unfolds- the little cracks that don't make sense. It's gripping mostly as a procedural, and mostly as a revelatory look at the corruptibility of men holding on to power. And it's also interesting in that the mother of the child, played in one of the best turns from the actors by Amy Ryan, isn't some helpless victim but is a druggie and, very likely, an unfit mother. Though not to spoil much in the film, this adds just the right hint of moral complexity to the end of the film, albeit in some contrivance.
In fact, it's little moments, both stylistically and substantively, that slightly hamper Gone Baby Gone. How many times, for example, have we seen the grainy flashback-montages of past events suddenly reconstructed (it might be a change not to see this but to have the audience think these bits out). And the factor of the character Angie is almost irrelevant, which is strange as- from what I've heard of the books- she's supposed to be much more stronger and on-par with Affleck's character, here reduced to either a weepy girlfriend or an underused detective's partner. Plus, the masked-bar robbery and the immediate aftermath is a little far-fetched. Still, these criticisms shouldn't stop anyone interested in the premise or the cast to see the film, in the theater especially. I liked seeing the urban sprawl and the seedier joints (and people, can't forget that), as Affleck goes a step further than Eastwood, and probably even Scorsese, in showcasing the nature of the city the events take place, more akin to noir than anything else.
And Affleck's little brother, Casey, does a lot with what should be a typical gumshoe part. He plays tough for about 90% of the film, but rarely this year has there been a performance so compelling with emotions and focus so set dead-on. Going from a part like in Ocean's Thirteen to Gone Baby Gone is not an easy stretch, as the aimless quality of humor turns to the stark quality of a guy who straddles the line of everyman to bad-ass without missing a beat. For whatever slip-ups Affleck encounters as director, his cast (his brother, and particularly Harris, Freeman gets back to shape after repeatedly playing God), and his sense of place and time, make Gone Baby Gone a small slice of sublime dark drama, neo-noir with a twist of attitude and pathos.