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Gone Baby Gone

For a career that was down for the count, Ben Affleck displayed some instinctively smart tactics to resurrect his career. His life force and his career seemed to be sucked out of him by his one-time beau, Jennifer Lopez. After a series of flops, Affleck took some time off to reflect and collect himself. He took a small role in Hollywoodland which earned him a Golden Globe nod and then he stepped behind the camera in his directorial debut for Gone Baby Gone. He even casted his younger brother, Casey, to headline. The result was stunning.

Gone Baby Gone is set in tough neighborhood of Dorchester in Boston at a time when a 4-year-old girl goes missing. The police make little headway as to her disappearance so a member of the McCready family seeks help from two private detectives, Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghen). The duo have little experience, but are hard headed and resourceful enough to do what the police cannot do in unearthing clues as to the whereabouts of the missing child, whose mother Helene McCready (Amy Ryan) is paraded on the news in a drunken rage. As the story progresses, breaking the case turns into a crisis on all scales.

For a first time director, Affleck was very impressive using an array of fancy camerawork techniques that worked well. He may have found his true calling in the movie industry. The story was really excellent, perhaps even better than Mystic River, which was penned by the same author. It’s gritty and grabs hold of you from beginning to end as the questions of “who dun it?” is finally revealed.

The ensemble cast was phenomenal. Casey Affleck is a real go-getter as he knocks on some doors and is not afraid to get his hands dirty. We see notable performances in Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman, which gives the film a sense of antiquity in this fairly young cast. Amy Ryan’s performance was exhilarating as an irresponsible obscenity slurring druggie who was the mother of the kidnapped child. She was the only one acknowledged by the Academy as it earned her a well deserved Oscar nod.

Aside from Amy Ryan’s performance, Gone Baby Gone should have gotten a lot more recognition. Impressive debuts or just breakout performances all around, but it’s hard with all the other great works that were out in 2007 to break through in that top five.

Written by: John Berkowitz

Reviewers Rating: 8.5
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