7 out of 10

Rating: 7/10 (10 April 2016)

The only reason I watched this movie was to get a feel for Ben Affleck's directing chops. I saw The Town a few years back and liked it. I also like this movie but looking at it just to examine Ben Affleck's directing eye, I have to say it isn't all that. The story is pretty good but does that thing where it spins things around, kind of like Gone Girl; but Gone Girl does it better. This movie is about a druggie mother who loses her child and her sister in-law hires a young detective to find the child. There are plot twists and whatever. Parts of it could have been better but I watched the whole thing without wanting to take a break so I guess that speaks volumes. The plot of the film is broken into 3 acts, like most films however the tone and feel of each act is noticeable, which isn't a good thing. However I'm not sure if it is the directing or the script to blame. The ending is powerful in meaning but just needed a little extra push. Like I said, I just watched the film to note Ben Affleck's directing chops because I'm sure we're going to get a solo Batman film directing by him.