Best Film of 2007

Rating: Null/10 (28 February 2008)

Gone Baby Gone (2007)
**** (out of 4)
Ben Affleck's directorial debut is nothing short of a masterpiece and deals with two private investigators (Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan) and their search for a missing four year old girl. To say anything else about the plot would ruin the film so I'll leave it at that but I really, really loved this movie. I'm not one who thinks current films are all horrible and the future of cinema is dead but I will say that I'm a bit nervous that the character dramas that depend on acting, direction and a great screenplay might be dead. With this film and Sean Penn's Into the Wild my nerves are calmed a bit because we've got at least two young directors with balls. This film asks a lot of hard questions and gives a lot of hard answers and sometimes they'll make you wanna cry while at other times they'll make you want to commit murder. The film deals with a very ugly subject matter and deals with some of the lowest forms of scum yet the heart in this film is untouched by any recent film. This is an ugly picture that will turn a lot of people off but Affleck never pulls any punches and it constantly giving the viewer something to think about. I've always enjoyed Affleck as an actor but this film proves that his given talent is as a screenwriter and director.
The film features a terrific cast all of whom should be remembered at Oscar time. Casey Affleck has a lot to handle here and going into the film I wondered how he would do and it turns out he comes off brilliant. His character goes through a lot of changes throughout the movie and the viewer must follow him through all the questions asked of him. At times I was fully behind him but then there were times that I wanted to punch his teeth down his throat. Even with me hating some of his actions, Affleck makes the character all his own and never gives a false move. Monaghan is equally great as his partner and the screenplay allows her to be a full character and not just some sidekick. Her reasons behind wanting to find the child and her fears are different than her partners but this too works wonders within the script. The supporting cast is full of great actors including Ed Harris as a Detective on the case, Morgan Freeman as his Captain and Amy Ryan as the child's mother. Harris gives the performance of his career because, once again, the rich screenplay gives him so much to do that he's able to explore his character and show ever side of emotion. Freeman has a smaller role as the Captain who has his only child murdered and he gives a speech about that, which is perhaps the most haunting thing in the film. The Robert Shaw/Indianapolis speech in Jaws was one of the most haunting speeches I've heard but this here comes pretty damn close. Ryan, playing a crackhead whore, is also marvelous and once again benefits from the screenplay.
Taking place on the mean streets of Boston, the film perfectly captures the mood and ugliness of the "poor" side of town, which is full of drugs, prostitution and various other things. The dialogue is so rich that you'd think you were watching a documentary with real people and real situations. There's a lot of racist and homophobic talk here with various slurs being thrown around and this here is something missing in our politically correct times. The screenplay simply shows how some people are and this is something I respect. Affleck handles all of this material like a veteran so it's shocking that this is his first stint as director. I certainly look forward to what he has to offer in the future because he's clearly got talent behind the camera and behind the typewriter. This film starts off depressing and doesn't get any lighter throughout the rest of the movie. It's dark, disturbing and at times downright brutal but it has balls, which is something more films need. What I also loved are all the clues that are given in plain sight yet we don't pick up on them because we don't know they're clues. The film has a couple big twists and turns but not once did I feel cheated because, as I just said, the clues are given in a fair manor. I won't reveal the ending but the film offers people two sides and I'm sure people will be split 50/50 on what should happen. It offers a lot of possible discussions, which is another thing more movies need.