Gone Baby Gone

“Gone Baby Gone” is an enjoyable film, well worth the cost of a movie ticket that will entertain you and give you something to talk about on the way home. Written and Directed by Ben Afflect and starring Casey Afflect the film follows the story of a young detective trying to unravel the mystery behind a young girl’s abduction. The acting is quite good with command performances by Afflect and Amy Ryan as the troubled, grief-stricken mother. Ed Harris adds another strong supporting role as a detective with his own sense of justice. This film reminds me of Mystic River from a few years back, but it doesn’t quite have the gusto to match Clint Eastwood’s masterpiece. While the writing is generally strong, the plot takes some turns at the end of the film that just don’t seem to add up. In particular two of the characters (Afflect’s girlfriend and the missing girl’s uncle) make huge decisions that seem out of character and/or unrealistic. When the events unfold onscreen I found myself saying “why didn’t he just do….” Since both of these moments happen as the climax of the film is hitting, the story takes a hit. It’s almost as if Afflect the writer/director was trying too hard to make sure that every character had a tragic flaw or evil side. Despite the narrative hiccup Gone Baby Gone is well worth seeing, and if you missed it in the theaters it’s a great rental.
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Film’s website: http://video.movies.go.com/gonebabygone