Back, baby, back. The greatest film of 2007 bar none

Rating: 10/10 (10 June 2008)

A film director by Ben Affleck starring Casey Affleck great new talent) about a subject so fragile that sensitive viewers will be crying after the first 20 minutes. But in these hard times, what with the disappearance of Madelyn McCain it seems the only think that will have us conquer our fear of kidnapping is to face it. And what better way to do such things than see this sensitive but hard-hitting and far from cliqued kidnapping story that is simply too much for some.
A directorial triumph for the so-so actor who is clearly much better at directing than he is at acting (just take a look at Pearl Harbour) But even in this where our attention is so fixed on whether or not Ben will be able to cut it as a director our attention seems to be shifted to Casey Affleck who is without a doubt one of my favourite up and coming stars, much better than his brother at least. He treats the subject with such care it's impossible not to like his character, as an actor his is stupendous. Absolutely marvelous.
The tough private eye Patrick Kenzie was raised in a poor and dangerous neighborhood of Boston, and works with his partner and girlfriend Angie Gennaro generally tracking missing losers in debt.
When the four year-old Amanda McCready is abducted from her apartment, her aunt Beatrice 'Bea' McCready calls the police and the press, and the case is highlighted with the spots by the media. Then Bea hires the reluctant Patrick to work in the case because he is not a cop and based on his great knowledge of their neighborhood. Meanwhile Capt. Jack Doyle, who lost his own daughter many years ago and is in charge of the investigation, assigns detectives Remy Bressant and Nick Pole to give the necessary support to Patrick.
After interviewing the addicted low life mother of Amanda, Helene McCready, Patrick goes to a bar and discloses that Helene was on the streets with her boyfriend Skinny Ray Likanski dealing and using drugs on the day Amanda disappeared. Along his investigation, Patrick faces small time criminals, drug dealers, paedophiles and corruption, facing a moral issue to solve the case. Shocked? In a state of stress? And hell you haven't even seen the movie yet.
Who should see this? Intelligent people. People who want to come out of a movie thinking about what they just saw. People who want to see an incredibly well made film.
It's also one of those rare movies in which it can easily be said that the less you know about the story going in, the richer the experience. There's no clear twist ending to give away, but rather a layered story that unfolds like a Russian stacking doll with a moral dilemma at its core.
My final verdict? Its most likely the best film of 2007. It's definitely part of my top 50 greatest of all time. And unmissable well crafted film that demands your attention even if the subject is to hard to face. A well rounded cast and a beautiful story is merely the tip of the iceberg. Go see it now.