Dear Mr. Affleck

Rating: 10/10 (22 October 2007)

You have finally found your career, my man, run with it. I must confess that I am not a fan of Ben's with regards to his acting, not because I think he is not a good actor, but with the exception of "SUM OF ALL FEARS" I just don't like any of the films he has been in, most especially the horribly overrated "CHASING AMY" which simply grates on all my nerve endings. But anyway, not a fan of his acting, but after seeing "GONE BABY GONE" I freely and shamelessly admit that I fervently hope he becomes a long-standing director, and I cannot wait for whatever he decides to do next. "GONE BABY GONE" is quite simply a masterpiece. Ben's directing style is totally old-school and so thankfully has none of that terrible shaking-moving, documentary style "realism". Ben is smart enough to co-write a wholly engaging script, and already savvy enough as a new director to focus on story and character over vacuous, empty "MTV style" camera work. Kudos Ben!! The wonderful backdrop of beautiful, throbbing, vibrant Boston notwithstanding, the gritty, dark, pretentious-free realism of the acting (including that of younger brother Casey, who is unfairly bashed by too many critics on this board) and the characterizations in this film are nothing short of mesmerizing and terrifying. I say terrifying because the fact that these characters are true depictions of people who really do exist (the dysfunctional, drug-addled women who should never be permitted to bear children and become mothers; the sleazy two-bit drug dealers who have somehow become top dogs in their horrifying world; the desperate good souls who foul up despite their commendable good intentions; the child molesters and rapists who should never be allowed another second's worth of freedom from prison; and the innocent, hapless and helpless children who are the utterly innocent victims of this sadly broken aspect of society) - these characters, by the very fact that they are dead-on-accurate renditions of people who really exist, are way scarier than anything in any horror movie; and Ben and his team of wonderful actors and technicians have breathed frightening real life into them with perfect aplomb (I almost suspect that a couple of the minor character actors were taken straight off the street). The plot, while containing some predictable elements, still manages to put final twists on each of those predictable parts so as to keep one captivated - and the elements that were not predictable just blew me away. The initial recce of the hideout house by Casey Affleck's character (and his drug dealer buddy) was a wonderfully creepy foreshadowing of terrible things to come - and the follow-up raid, in which Nick is shot and wounded, and in which Casey goes in and finds the missing boy, was spine tinglingly horrific - a scene reminiscent of, and at the same level of nail-biting intensity as anything in David Fincher's SEVEN. The moral question at the end of the movie would indeed be a difficult thing for many people to answer. The fact that Ben stuck to his guns and went for the realistic, true-to-life resolution just enhances his solid steel film-maker's balls. Personally I would have left the little girl in the much better life situation, but in reality, Casey Affleck's character made the choice most would make - which does not make it any less heartbreaking and frustrating, especially with the scene towards the end wherein we see little Amanda back in the clutches of her wretched, selfish and worthless mother (a performance by Amy Ryan that was so real and believable that I was shocked and relieved to discover that she's actually an actress and not some real-life bad mom). I couldn't help agreeing with Michelle Monaghan that I hated Casey Affleck's character for calling the state police, and yet I also believe that he was redeemed in the final scene by its suggestion that he has decided to make it his life's mission to watch over the child forevermore. A wonderful, moving, gut-wrenching film, Ben, and a fine feature directorial debut. Encore!