same feel as mystic river, different take, but just as great

Rating: Null/10 (12 June 2008)

First of all, I would just like to extend an apology to Ben Affleck for having the predisposition that he was solely of mainstream Hollywood, in the likes of Jennifer Aniston and Jennifer Lopez. Although that may have been true of Affleck's past as an actor, as a director, he rivaled if not surpassed Sean Penn's masterpiece take off of a Dennis Lehane novel, "Mystic River." Along with his brother, Casey's, performance and an incredibly well-crafted plot in a well-written screenplay, this movie is a masterpiece on its own.
I won't even attempt to dive into the plot, but merely say that an independent investigator, Patrick Kenzie (Affleck) and his wife (Michelle Monaghan) are hired to help find a seven-year-old girl gone missing in what is not as clear-cut case of kidnapping as they want to believe. The film heavily explores the theme of right vs. wrong, and successfully reaches its audience. Never have I felt so torn between two sides in a movie.
Enough said, though. Before I go too far, I just want to tell anybody who reads this to watch to movie. It was one of the better-spent hour and fifty minutes I've taken.