Exceptional Crime Drama

Rating: 9/10 (3 February 2008)

I went into Gone Baby Gone with a misconception about what it was going to be about, or rather a different interpretation of the synopsis. I was extremely pleased with the plot, but more so the realism of the story. The plot is so deep, yet understandable, and links us to a moral debate we all struggle with. I considered Casey Affleck a B-Rate actor before this film, but now I can see him becoming a prolific actor. His performance was convincing and incredible. Ed Harris was great as usual, and Amy Ryan was also terrific. The only thing keeping this movie from a 10 is what I consider a lack of character development. Affleck was such an interesting character, I would've loved to see them develop him a little more. There is some subpar acting also, by Michelle Monaghan and surprisingly, Morgan Freeman (who I feel was miscast). Ben Affleck directs well, with elements of Spike Lee and David Cronenberg clearly visible in his style. I'm looking forward to future pictures by him. I would recommend Gone Baby Gone to anyone, but I don't want to release any of the plot details, because I want people to have the same experience I did. This was definitely snubbed at Oscar time, especially the Afflecks and the adapted screenplay.