Awesome movie. Ben Affleck should really stick to directing now...

Rating: 8/10 (8 March 2008)

Previously, I had never really disliked Ben Affleck but I didn't think too highly of him either, as an actor. Then just recently I noticed his brilliant writing and decent performance in Good Will Hunting, and I grew to respect him a littleuntil a few hours ago when that respect drastically shot up to a much, much higher level than before.
Gone Baby Gone is definitely a triumphant win for Ben Affleck, considering it was his very first directorial venture (not counting the short film he had made years ago as a student). It is a maturely handled, realistic film which continuously shifts between telling a simple story and portraying some truly devastating moral dilemmas. What I like even more about this film is the way it presents the situations (which are again, very human and plausible); it takes to trouble to show both sides of the coin, and leaves the audience to make their own judgment without brainwashing/preaching them in any sort of way. This is especially significant in regards to the climax, when Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) has to make an important decision. The latter is not made out to be "the only way out", and nor are the consequences shown to be miraculously fitting to what Kenzie might have had in mind. Just like any real-life decision, the whole situation is portrayed with a hint of neutrality and uncertainty - because after all, we know absolutely nothing about what's going to happen in the future. We can only make our choices and hope we are right.
Looks like I went on a bit of a tangent there so, er, sorry. Anyway, back to the movie. I have to admit that initially, I had been a little disappointed because I wasn't finding the movie asthrilling, as I may have been expecting. But then I realised  the fault had not been the filmmaker's, but my own. Or rather, my upbringing of having seen so many mainstream 'thrillers' that I came to expect nothing but hollow, low-on-substance entertainment every time I heard the words "detective movie" or "mystery thriller". This movie, may not have the traditional "in-your-face" moments but it has something even more special  a heart. Not many filmmakers are able to achieve something like thisAffleck has all the right to feel proud of his work. Oh and of course, my comments would be incomplete if I don't mention the excellent performances by  well, the whole cast. Casey Affleck definitely stood out from the rest but even with their rather short screen times, people like Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris and Amy Ryan certainly made their presence felt.
All in all this is an immensely well made, impactful movie. I'll be very much looking forward to Ben Affleck's next film as a director.
My Final Rating: 8.5/10.