Dirty Dishwater

Rating: 6/10 (26 March 2008)

Gone Baby Gone, adapted from a book by Dennis Lehane, the author of Mystic River, marks Ben Affleck's directorial debut. While the move did pose and interesting moral question, I found the movie confusing, unrealistic, and a little boring. The story centers around a little girls kidnapping. Casey Affleck is a private investigator hired by the missing child's aunt to supplement the police investigation.
I wasn't terribly impressed with the acting. Ed Harris gives a spirited performance as a cop, and Amy Madigan matches his intensity as a protective aunt, but those were the shining stars among weak performances. Morgan Freeman disappointed me, as he is a phenomenal actor, but he plays a watered-down version of a police chief dedicated to bringing missing children home. I can't decide whether it was Michelle Monaghan's performance or the script that left me cringing every time she spoke. Casey Affleck, Ben Affleck's brother, is an actor that does possess talent, and is easy on the eyes, but like Michelle Monaghan's character, was either just poorly written, or just lukewarm in his delivery. It's possible that the casting for these two characters miss the mark, but I certainly expected more from Casey.
Ben Affleck obviously strives to impress us with his directing skills, but in general, his attempt at stylish directing simply made the movie more muddled. With the numerous fades and voice-overs, it gives more of a feeling of confusion than clarity. And matching the stories dark themes with dark lighting made me wonder if I needed to adjust my television's brightness. I was also disappointed in the connection between both Afflecks and the Boston setting. Instead of making a clear connection to the neighborhood, with the exception of thick Bostonian accents, the movie could have been set in any U.S. city. The suspense seemed to come to a crescendo at least three times. The only reason I knew the movie couldn't possibly be over yet was because hardly even half and hour had passed when I thought we were reaching the climax. Ben may be able to pull it off in the future, but at this point his skills are, and come across, amateurish.
The basic plot of this movie is what left me the most unsatisfied. The basic premise of the story is preposterous. I can't explain why without giving away too many details, but I would love to hear anyone disagree with me. The best part of the movie is the previously mentioned interesting moral question, which in itself could be a reason to watch this movie. But if you are hungry for movies with interesting moral questions, I would rather recommend Eye for an Eye, starring Sally Field, and again, Ed Harris.