Gone Baby Gone

Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Directed by Ben Affleck
***1/4

This was so much better than I expected from Ben Affleck. I know that's a terrible way to start a review, but it's true. This film proves that Ben is a better director than most actors who try; it also proves he's a better director than he is an actor. The film has its flaws, to be sure. It's over-long, hits its climax about an hour before the end, and becomes a little too cynical for my taste. In the meantime, though, Ben directs his far-more-capable-as-actor brother Casey in another really strong performance. Casey plays a rookie missing persons detective, and he and his partner (Michelle Monaghan) are shocked when they're approached by a local family who wants them to work alongside the police to retrieve their kidnapped daughter. They're even more shocked when the mother is so trashy that they would almost prefer to find the girl dead. It's set in South Boston, so it's terribly profane. But it's also tense, atmospheric, and truly interesting. Encore?

Comments

[Nathan Gallion]

I've been looking forward to this one for a while. Ben Affleck behind the camera has GOT to be better than Ben Affleck in front of the camera.