Flawed film with a great deal of promise

Rating: 7/10 (9 December 2008)

It is now largely forgotten that Ben Affleck's big break was not as an actor in but as a writer of "Good Will Hunting". His career has never lived up to the promise of his performance in that film (a quiet and subtle display) and has been overshadowed by the success of his friend and co-Oscar-winner, Matt Damon. With "Gone Baby Gone", Affleck moves back behind the camera, directing and writing, whilst his brother Casey, who really impressed in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford", takes the lead.
The film is a gritty thriller at first, with a quite masterful opening which is engrossing and effective. The sense of location is evident from the start and both Afflecks demonstrate their talents. Casey is an interesting screen presence, and Ben is an unfussy director with an eye for location and images.
The film is served well be the stellar cast. Ed Harris is very good, as is Michelle Monaghan and the Oscar nominated Amy Ryan is fantastic, whilst Morgan Freeman is Morgan Freeman, which is nice. They do make the film easy to watch, even though the subject matter, focussing on child abduction, is difficult to deal with.
However, although the subject matter is treated well throughout most of the film, its fatal flaw is that it lets itself go in the third act. The plot twists and turns three times toward the end to lose nearly all credibility and then loses any that it had left by landing on a truly unbelievable conclusion. Its focus on character is not lost, but it is still a disappointment to see such a tightly played drama unwind at the end.
Nevertheless, this film has much promise. Its subject matter should be a consideration for anyone who is thinking of seeing this, but it is an intelligent and interesting film which is worth watching, mainly because of what it might be the precursor of.