Gone Baby Gone **** (2007, Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman) – Classic Movie Review 3285

The year 2007 was a great one for Casey Affleck. Hot on the heels of his Oscar-nominated performance in The Assassination of Jesse James comes his equally riveting turn as a rookie private detective hired with partner Michelle Monaghan to help seasoned cops Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman find the four-year-old daughter of a junkie (Oscar-nominated Amy Ryan).

For his directorial debut, Ben Affleck (he also co-wrote with Aaron Stockard and co-produced) directs his little brother in a sizzling, satisfyingly complex thriller that keeps on the boil all the way to its uniquely startling and disturbing ending. Showing an instinctive command of the camera, Ben directs on atmospherically seedy Boston locations, getting the most out of every aspect of the movie, especially the acting of course.

You might think the plot of Dennis Lehane’s novel (he also wrote Mystic River) was far-fetched if it wasn’t for the labyrinthine puzzle of the real-life Madeleine McCann case, which held up the UK release of the movie for nearly a year. You might also think this is treading familiar ground, but there’s not a single routine thing about this absolutely extraordinary movie.

Ben Affleck’s career as an actor has had its highs and, recently before this, mainly lows. Can anyone ever forget the monstrosity that is Gigli, his movie with the woman he was about to marry, J-Lo? But he handles Gone Baby Gone with such confidence and style that, if the acting dries up, he’s got a second career in front of him. Well done, Ben!

PS, just for the record, this isn’t actually Ben’s directorial debut: he made a short film in 1993 with the all-time great title of I Killed My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her on a Meat Hook, and Now I Have a Three-Picture Deal at Disney. Thought you’d like to know that.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3285

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