GONE BABY GONE : Evidence That Affleck Has Potential As A Director, But Not A Perfect Piece...

Rating: 6/10 (19 February 2008)

GONE BABY GONE
As an avid non-fan of Ben Affleck, I disregarded GONE BABY GONE when it first hit theatres because of my skepticism. When the reviews hit, it started to seem like I wasn't giving Affleck a fair chance b/c critics were favorable. But I allowed myself to believe the positive reviews Affleck received for HOLLYWOODLAND and go see the movie with an open mind... let's just say HOLLYWOODLAND was not a good experience for me and I fervently disagree with the critics on that one! So I was wary of GONE BABY GONE from the start. However, as the film managed to keep some presence through awards-season (for both Amy Ryan and Ben Affleck as a debut filmmaker) my curiosity got the better of me. I'm glad it did.
Not to say that GONE BABY GONE is a perfect film, it does feel a little like a first-time directorial effort. However, it's a film that shows Affleck might have promise as a director that he does not hold as an actor. GONE BABY GONE is a solid crime drama that tells the story of an abducted young girl through the eyes of a private investigator with no experience on this kind of case.
Casey Affleck, in a solid performance, plays Patrick Kenzie, a young man who's lived in Boston his whole life and now works as an independent investigator alongside his girlfriend Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan). Angie and Patrick are roped in to "enhance" the ongoing investigation that is taking place to locate a young girl named Amanda McReady. She is the daughter of a drug-runner (Amy Ryan), and she has disappeared under mysterious circumstances from an unhappy home. With the help of Detective Remy Bressant (Ed Harris), Patrick tries to find a way to balance his ethical beliefs with the necessary decisions his line of work present him with. But as Patrick and Angie uncover more of the truth, it becomes apparent this is nothing close to a typical abduction.
The film spends the first half of it's running time exploring the story as if it is your standard kidnapping investigation, but in the second half there is a major shift that brings the film into a totally different direction. The film has received comparisons to both MYSTIC RIVER and THE DEPARTED for basic reasons... using the Boston landscape most obviously. But the film does feel like a blend of the two films, that doesn't quite find the perfect balance to make it all work. Half of the film focuses on the human drama of an abduction like this (like MYSTIC RIVER), while the other half explores corruption vs. honor (like THE DEPARTED). These two parts never come together perfectly for GONE BABY GONE, but it still never goes completely off the rails.
Casey Affleck carries the film well and offers the movie's most nuanced and fully felt performance for my tastes. He proves that he is able to take his conversational and laid back approach to dialogue and lace it with gravitas just as well as he is able to lace it with humor (as exemplified in the OCEAN'S films). Amy Ryan has received a great deal of critical acclaim and awards attention for her performance as the burnt-out mother of the abducted child, and she does a phenomenal job of fully embodying Helene McReady. However, her screen time is limited and the character doesn't really have a change of heart. She is a one-note mess of a woman, and a frustrating one at that. Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman offer typically solid performances, but it's nothing new to see from them. Meanwhile, Monaghan escapes unscathed, but her character has virtually no definition. Though she is always present, she feels remarkably unnecessary and her relationship with Frankie does little to strengthen the films primary themes.
Overall, GONE BABY GONE is a solid, though unremarkable film. It vastly exceeded any expectations I would have placed on a Ben Affleck film however, and I won't avoid his film in theatres next time.
... B- ...