The Third Draft

Gone Baby Gone (2007)                                      Back to Reviews
by Coach Patton
©D. Patton, All Rights Reserved

Director: Ben Affleck
Screenplay: Ben Affleck & Aaron Stockard,
based on the novel by Dennis Lehane

Running Length: 1:55 Rated: R (Violence, profanity, drug use)
 
Cast: Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, John Ashton, Amy Ryan, Amy Madigan, Titus Welliver, Madeline O'Brien, Edi Gathegi

Gone Baby Gone marks Ben Affleck’s directorial debut with questionable results. Granted, it can be seen as a noble effort (Affleck also co-wrote the script)—but it failed to make a connection with this writer. In fact, my immediate reaction after viewing the film was that I absolutely despised it. After some deep breaths to calm my hatred and some careful reflection, I think I understand why people will like this film and why it will receive some critical acclaim. Not that I agree.

It’s provocative to be sure, morally corrupt in many ways, suspenseful and full of violent action. The effect of Gone Baby Gone is much akin to being stabbed in the gut and having the knife twisted repeatedly. And if you like that sort of movie-going experience, I guess you might like Gone Baby Gone.

Set in South Boston (an area in which Affleck is quite familiar) and beginning with establishing shots of the area’s, shall we say, less refined (read: the trashiest of trash) inhabitants, the story revolves around a 4-year-old girl gone missing. When the police fail to turn up any leads on her whereabouts, the family turns to two local private investigators that specialize in finding missing persons. Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and his partner Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) reluctantly take on the case and quickly realize they may be in over their heads.

The little girl comes from an unsavory home environment—her mother’s a crack-addict thief who’s notorious for neglecting her child. It soon becomes clear that there are certain people in this mother’s life that would have motive to kidnap her daughter. Right away you’re left with an unsettling feeling; you want the little girl to be found safe, but do you really want her to be returned to that? Well, that’s exactly what Patrick promises to do—find the little girl and bring her home to her disgusting, unfit mother. Why he makes this touching promise to such an undeserving woman is not entirely clear.

What is clear is that Patrick has issues with morality. Constantly quoting his childhood priest, you can tell that thoughts of right and wrong plague him. It’s this fear of sin, I think, that makes Patrick into the person he is. It’s also something that made me dislike his character immensely. He’s a walking contradiction, who tries way too hard to be the hero. His loyalty to the rules prohibits him from bending them in anyone’s favor, even when that may in fact be the better decision. The so-called “right” decision he makes at the end completely baffled and frustrated me. I had read the book a few years ago and do not remember it ending as the movie did.

The kidnapping saga takes many twists and turns, mostly involving the dregs of society (drug dealers, addicts, murderers, child molesters are among the despicable human beings we are forced to endure). It’s a winding tale filled with such dead-end hopelessness that it’s actually quite sad.

My impression of Casey Affleck is that he's more of a character actor than a lead, and I felt he was miscast in this role.  Michelle Monaghan's portrayal of Angie is workmanlike. The best performances come from (not unexpectedly) Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, and (perhaps unexpectedly) Amy Ryan (a NY stage actor, basically). All three get maximum value out of their screen time. Ryan, playing Amanda's mother, is especially noteworthy. She humanizes a vile person, showing vulnerability alongside a startling streak of neglect and self-centeredness. Freeman plays someone whose nobility may be a little tarnished and Harris gets to explore a wide range of traits. Titus Welliver (recently of HBO’s Deadwood) is just excellent.

As a leading man, Casey Affleck (who also co-stars in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, which is also currently in some theatres) has a nebbishy quality and a mumbly speaking voice that I personally found disruptive to a movie's flow.

I also felt that Baby Bro Affleck was badly miscast as PI Patrick McKenzie, who in the book is one tough dude. Without a gun in his hand Baby Affleck is just Ben’s little brother who would not have gotten this role were it not for Ben. ~sigh~ Nepotism can be a beautiful thing but not this time.

Ben Affleck just overdoes it in his first directing venture after an excellent opening sequence. It is a good looking movie with great production values but he overdoses on the film’s “grittiness,” its violence, its darkness, to the point of utter bleakness. There’s a child molestation subplot, so unnecessarily gruesome it’ll make you cringe in horror.

I thought the movie was over several times and it just kept plugging onward, sputtering until it ran out of gas at the end. The problem is in the screenplay more than anything else. It looks like Ben Affleck can direct. We'll see if he can direct a film that people actually want to see. This is not that film. Most films that Affleck has been associated with in recent years have been box office flops. Most critics love his latest film, but most audiences do not. This appears to be another flop. Or at least that’s How It Seemed from Where I Sat.

What’s it worth?           
For film buffs & the average viewer: wait for the free cable viewing.

ROLL CREDITS

Director: Ben Affleck
Screenplay: Ben Affleck & Aaron Stockard, based on the novel by Dennis Lehane
Cinematography: John Toll
Music: Harry Gregson-Williams

CAST:
Casey Affleck--Patrick Kenzie
Michelle Monaghan--Angie Gennaro
Morgan Freeman--Jack Doyle
Ed Harris--Detective Remy Bressant
John Ashton--Nick Poole
Amy Ryan--Helene McCready
Amy Madigan--Beatrice McCready
Titus Welliver--Lionel McCready
Michael K. Williams--Devin
Edi Gathegi--Cheese
Mark Margolis--Leon Trett
Madeline O'Brien--Amanda McCready
Slaine--Bubba Rogowski

FADE TO BLACK
In The Name Of Truth, Justice and In the Service of A Higher Good, I Remain Your Friend, Movie Reviewer and Spiritual Advisor, Coach Patton

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