Gone Baby Gone - mini-review

I had been avoiding watching Gone Baby Gone. I had ordered it from Netflix before the Oscars, so that I could watch Amy Ryan's nominated performance. The subject matter of a missing person, for reasons many of you know, just had me picking up another movie to watch each time, and leaving this one in the envelope. My friend Janene saw it recently, and told me I must watch it, that it was a really excellent film. Finally, this weekend, I did watch it, and it was everything she said and more. It is a truly fantastic film. Ben Affleck won an Oscar for screenwriting back in the Good Will Hunting days, and one forgets with all the schlock movies he started to act in that the man has talent. It was wonderful to see him hit the ball out of the park with his directorial debut, and he co-wrote the script as well, adapting the book by the same author as Mystic River.

This film has such a sense of place, the story of a missing young girl set in South Boston. Ben Affleck got local people to do walk on parts in the movie, and it really does add into the whole atmosphere. The cast is superb. Casey Affleck continues to amaze me, Michelle Monaghan (Made of Honor) is starting a fine career, Amy Ryan definitely deserved her Oscar nom for the part of the mother of the missing young girl, and you've got the stalwarts: Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman. This is a dark movie, yes, but the plot has lots of twists and turns. You leave the film wondering if the main character made the right decision. I give this film three and a half stars and urge you to see it. Watch the trailer here.