For the Sake of the Child

Rating: 8/10 (31 August 2016)

"I did what I did for the sake of the child."
One of those rare Hollywood productions leaving the audience questioning their own moral compass once the final credits have rolled. Though a little convoluted at times, the film reveals directorial talents from an unexpected quarter, able to extract top drawer performances from a wonderful ensemble cast. Affleck succeeds in capturing the gritty realism of the Boston streets he set out to achieve. As such, he rejected the use of professional extras, framing his scenes among the local populace who happened to be present at his location shoots. As regards the style of production, Affleck has benefited greatly from working alongside cinematographer, and two times winner of an Academy Award, John Toll. The film is adorned with a majestic score from Harry Gregson- Williams, and despite also profiting from such excellent source material as Dennis Lehane's novel, in remaining faithful to it, the director merits praise for delicately handling the difficult, hard- hitting subject matter. In doing so, the film avoids falling temptation, as does the usual Hollywood fare, to simplistically establishing which characters embody moral rectitude and which don't. Hired by the concerned uncle and aunt of a missing girl to rekindle the failing police investigation into their niece's disappearance, a married couple of private investigators are drawn both into the murky underworld of the degenerates who inhabit the city, and the shady dealings of police corruption, before facing a moral quandary which will tear them apart. The gamble which both Affleck brothers take in trusting to their respective sibling's talents hugely pays off, as Casey Affleck delivers an assured performance in the lead role. The audience learn, just as the police assigned to the case, not to mistake the fresh-faced lead as lacking sufficient steeliness and fibre for the demands placed upon him. This would be the first in a short series of critically acclaimed roles which established the younger brother as one of the most gifted young actors in Hollywood. He is ably supported by his on- screen partner, an under-utilised Michelle Monaghan, who acts as the film's moral barometer. Another standout performance is provided by Amy Ryan, as the foul-mouthed,drug-addled, neglectful mother of the missing child. Deserving of her Academy Award nomination, Ryan presents a 'warts-and-all' portrait while supplying just enough humanity and vulnerability to the role to evince a modicum of sympathy from the audience. In perfecting her accent, she took every opportunity to avail herself of the knowledge of local native, Jill Quigg, who plays her character's best friend. The latter was drafted into the cast by Affleck, impressed at her forceful berating of production staff when the barricades set up for the location shoot prevented her from collecting her child from school. The second memorable supporting performance is delivered by Ed Harris as the cynical and intimidating Inspector Remy Bressant. His seemingly unflinching pursuit of the truth will gradually be peeled away to reveal much more questionable motives. Though labyrinthine, the film's plot acts as its creative core. A botched exchange operation ends with the missing girl presumed drowned, Yet, an unrelated case of child abduction concludes by exposing far more suspect roles played in proceedings by the police investigating team. In the ensuing attempts to rescue the abducted boy, Affleck and Toll handle an especially taut search scene in the pedophile gang's house with both a degree of aplomb in framing the action, and in maintaining great delicacy over such a sensitive issue with such an abhorrent outcome. As our protagonist deals with his own conscience at having taken the law into his own hands, Bressant reveals just how far he is prepared to go to protect an innocent child. As the truth begins to emerge over the fate of the missing girl, it becomes more imperative for further questions to be made at the door of recently retired Captain Jack Doyle - another accomplished performance from Morgan Freeman. Considering his own earlier contentious self- appointed role as executioner, Affleck's character's final decision fuels the audience's debate as to what choice they would have made, allowing the film a power to resonate long after viewing.