Gone Baby Gone
Director: Ben Affleck
Rating: MA15+
Now screening



To suggest Ben Affleck's career has been turbulent would be a drastic understatement. For every dazzling high (Oscar winning, co-scribe of 'Good Will Hunting'), there has been an equally dreary low ('Pearl Harbor', 'Gigli'). After staring in Hollywood duds for years while watching best bud Matt Damon have a meteoric rise to stardom, Affleck's self-admittance that his career hinges on this film, an adaptation of Dennis Lehane's sizzling source text, comes as little surprise. What is most astonishing is that his directional debut isn't just remarkably self-assured; it's also one the finest crime dramas made in years.

Remaining largely faithful to Lehane's downbeat and intricate narrative web, the film follows the actions of young couple Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan). Both small-time private investigators, their lives are turned upside down when they reluctantly take on a high-profile missing child case. Their quest is constantly peppered with obstacles; from having to deal with the young girl's self-absorbed, foul-mothered, 'cokehead' mother (a phenomenal Amy Ryan), to butting heads with the police chief (Morgan Freeman) and explosive lead detective (Ed Harris).

Set across an authentic, washed-out Boston landscape, the narrative builds meticulously as the desperate search moves into a bleak underworld populated by junkies, paedophiles, and corrupted cops. As sinister twists and mysterious pasts are revealed, it becomes painfully apparent just how far Patrick and Angie are out of their depth. The overriding presence of gloom is intensified by the moral and ethical complexities that explode in the film's brutally uncompromising finale; where ambiguity provides the kind of haunting impact not seen in a film noir since 'Memento'.

As co-writer and director, Affleck arguably does a better job at adapting Lehane here than Clint Eastwood did with 'Mystic River'. With a keen eye he understands how to structure a tight narrative with whip-smart dialogue, pinpointing precise moments when action defines character, and extracting the most from his stellar cast and crew. His 'do or die' filmmaking philosophy is particularly exemplified through casting baby-faced younger brother Casey in the lead; had a more recognised and assertive actor played the part, the social and moral implications would have lacked genuine realism.

With the exception of Angie's character getting forced into a lightweight supporting role, as an adaptation 'Gone Baby Gone' fires on all cylinders. Intellectually and emotionally stimulating, the film rises above a host of sloppy, run-of-the-mill Hollywood crime thrillers, which is a tremendous credit to Affleck's chilling portrait of human nature.

Scott Macleod