Ben's debut as a director is amazing.

Rating: 8/10 (5 June 2008)

Ben Affleck gets behind the camera and directs his brother amongst others in this tale of kidnapping, moral decisions and society's deep undercurrents. In a scenario eerily similar to that of the real life disappearance of Madeline McCann (the girl in the film Amanda even looks like her) the story is that of a young girl taken from her bed at night and how the ensuing search affects everyone from the community to the police to Patrick (Casey) and his partner in his private investigator business Angie (Monaghan). Along the way we meet Amanda's mother a character that seems to have no redeeming features, her brother who with his wife are instrumental in the hiring of Patrick and Angie much to the protest of cops Remy (Ed Harris) and Nick (Ashton) under the leadership of Capt. Jack Doyle (Freeman) who we discover lost a child in similar circumstances which lead him to set up a special unit to deal with such happenings. The tone and pace of the film can be compared to 'Mystic River' or 'The Woodsman' with the characters being the driving force of the story which continues to build right up to the end. One of the main things the film does is pose ethical and moral questions and you find yourself at once with the characters that have to make these choices, along with the superb direction and acting it's the main way the film continues to grip you throughout. A haunting score and some impressive cinematography flesh out the movie as do some of the smaller characters that inhabit the neighbourhood, but this film really does belong to the Affleck's Ben proving that with his debut he is now a director to watch out for and Casey who after his part in last years 'The Assassination of Jesse James..' is showing he is an actor of range that is developing with each role. Whether this is a case of art imitating life or vice versa this is a film that will get you thinking long after it's finished.