‘Gone Baby Gone’ Review
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Arguably the most Jekyll & Hyde ego in Hollywood, Ben Affleck has finally decided to hang up his thespian coat for a bit as he now takes a run at calling the shots from the director’s chair in the new dramatic thriller ‘Gone Baby Gone.’ Whether it be for his co-penmanship in ‘Good Will Hunting,’ or for his dopey portrayal of the Daredevil, Hollywood has always found plenty of reasons to love and hate Ben Affleck, but for now, any negativity in his acting resume has become a closed case as he proves himself to be an avid filmmaker with plenty to offer in what has to be one of the most solidly crafted films of 2007.
When a young girl vanishes from her home in a rundown southern Boston neighborhood, two private detectives are hired to investigate. What appears to be a deeply saddening, yet typical, child abduction soon turns into a deadly game of mistrust that could cost these young detectives their lives as they begin to realize that nothing is what it seems.
Speaking as a practicing screenwriter, I can honestly say that for a man who has only rung the bell twice, Ben Affleck has delivered some of the finest dialogue in today’s cinema with ‘Gone Baby Gone.’ I’m not really sure just how many times he rewrote this thing, but it was quite obvious that adlibbing wasn‘t tolerated on the set. Much like ‘Good Will Hunting,’ Affleck drops plenty of curse bombs in the midst of the drama, but with a small town atmosphere of cocaine addicts and washed up bartenders, can you really expect these people to be washing their mouths with soap?
Some would find it kind of ironic for Ben Affleck to be hiding behind the camera while his younger brother, Casey Affleck, takes the lead role in this stunning thriller, but I guess chemistry runs in the family, because Ben really brings out the best in his brother. Casey’s character may not have the admirable reputation of a police investigator, but his emotional determination for the truth will win the audience over before they even realize that they are part of the story here. Casey’s accent can be tough to handle at first, but as soon as the pieces of this puzzle are laid out on the table, all you can do is stick close to him and his partner (Michelle Monaghan) as they drive this thing to the edge.
It’s been quite a while since Morgan Freeman took job as the leading man, but his recent string of supporting roles have certainly proven him to be the talented legend that he is in Hollywood. Compared to his Oscar-winning role in ‘Million Dollar Baby,’ Freeman is only given limited time in front of the camera as the chief of police in South Boston, who also has experience with losing a child, but he still manages to make every second count, with Ed Harris lending some helpful complements on the side.
I’ve said many times before that picking out conclusions long before they come is something you can grasp from seeing almost everything, but Affleck really gave me a run for my money with this thrilling mystery. Just when it seems like Casey has cracked the case, more clues arrive, and the whole thing continues to expand beyond his reach. But the real kicker of this mystery is that when the final conlusion is revealed, the audience is then left to decide a truth of their own; a decision that is certain to have people talking about this film long after they see it. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve had this much after thought of anything since the series finale of ‘The Sopranos.’
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Oct 18 2007. Filed under Features.
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