Film Reviews

Gone Baby Gone

• Rating:
• Director: Ben Affleck
• Starring: Casey Affleck
• Details: USA / 114mins (16)

That sound you hear is numerous film critics chowing down on their head attire: Ben Affleck has co-written and directed a first-time feature with staggering assurance. Gone Baby Gone's plot is eerily familiar, as a small child goes missing from a bed during the night while her mother is throwing back booze in the local bar. A media circus ensues, as the child's Aunt and Uncle go to small-time private investigator Patrick Kenzie (Affleck) and ask him to assist in the investigation, because of his local knowledge. As he becomes more involved with the investigative process, he begins to uncover hidden truths that will stay with him for the rest of his life. Gone Baby Gone is a film with many layers - each of them peeled delicately, in a production that is rooted firmly in the authentic. Genuine Bostonians are used as extras, while lead actor Casey and helmer brother Ben also hail from the state. These guys know this area, that much is abundantly clear; but this needed to be more than a grittily-realised love-in of their hometown to do its material justice. Obviously, both brothers knew this from day one, as this film is, for want of a better word, stunning. Younger sibling Casey is mesmerising as the honest core, his face continuously offering both determination and apprehension as he purposely places himself in harm's way to dig out the truth. And if this film is about anything, it's just that - truth. No stone is unturned, no dark corner left untouched, as Patrick bravely faces intimidation from all corners to do what he believes is right. Affleck wisely portrays him with subtlety, letting the plot unfold around him. Ben may have directed his brother in quite possibly the best lead performance of the year; but he also has a strong sense of narrative, and an unflashy, but instinctively brooding visual style that compliments the setting and the performances beautifully. Nothing is rammed down your throat, yet parts of the film will shock you - that's a testament to the skill of its helmer. Supporting players are all solid, while Ed Harris in particular must have a killer bout of indigestion from all the scene-chewing. In a summer filled with dim-witted multi-million dollar blockbusters, Gone Baby Gone is a film that begs for a viewing more than any other. One of the best crime films in nigh on a decade.

Review by Mike Sheridan