When is the right thing the wrong thing?

Rating: 7/10 (24 January 2011)

Ben Affleck, who proved he could write, with the Oscar-winning "Good Will Hunting", and act, with "Hollywoodland", now demonstrates a remarkable flair for directing, as well, in the superb "Gone Baby Gone". This gripping 'lost child' drama, cutting through the layers of lower-income South Boston, displays amazing sensitivity, and Oscar-caliber performances by a top-notch cast.
Adapted from Boston novelist Dennis Lehane's best-selling novel, the film unapologetically views a neighborhood crushed by poverty, alcoholism, and drug addition, yet clinging to a stubborn pride. When a little girl disappears, the child's aunt (Amy Madigan), frustrated by the slow progress of dedicated cop Morgan Freeman, hires local detective team Casey Affleck (Ben's brother) and Michelle Monaghan to join in the search. Despite only cursory assistance from the detectives handling the case (Ed Harris and John Ashton), Affleck discovers a web of lies and deceit, starting with the child's drug addict mother (Oscar-nominated Amy Ryan). As the layers of deception unravel, questions of integrity and 'best interest' are raised, lifting the film far above a simple detective story! In many ways, Affleck's 'Patrick Kenzie' is a descendant of film detectives of the past, from Sam Spade and Phillip Marlowe, to Lew Harper; a man with a code of honor and unshakable integrity, hidden beneath a flippant exterior, facing a world where morality and truth are colored in shades of gray. It is a nearly impossible situation, and Casey Affleck is extraordinary in the role, capturing the anguish of a man whose virtues might destroy any hope of happiness. Equally good are Monaghan, combining beauty, stability, and humanity, and Harris, whose true character unfolds gradually, in a remarkable acting tour-de-force.
Ben Affleck's compassion and deep devotion to the people of the grittier side of Boston makes him an ideal storyteller, and provides an authenticity to each scene that only a 'native' could provide. This certainly doesn't 'feel' like the first production of a novice filmmaker...
Bravo, Ben!