Gone Baby Gone

Directed by: Ben Affleck
Written by: Ben Affleck, Aaron Stockard (Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane)
Starring: Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris, John Ashton, Amy Ryan, Morgan Freeman, Amy Madigan, Titus Welliver

Score: 9.5/10

It seems that ever since Jersey Girl Ben Affleck has slowly faded away. He garnered some praise for portraying George Reeves in Hollywoodland and had a small part in Smokin’ Aces, but nothing that has matched the success he had early on in his career. He’s even had to face being the punch line to hundreds of jokes and all the people, for whatever reason, that just flat out hate the guy. I never could understand where all the Affleck bashing came from or when it even started. Perhaps it had something to do with his buddy Matt Damon turning in hits with Bourne while Affleck made films like Gigli and Surviving Christmas.

Well it’s all a mute point as of now, because while all the Affleck-bashers have been hoping he would return to the screen with something that could fuel more jokes, he instead has taken the role of director and turned in one damn fine film - one of the year’s best. It’s the kind of directorial debut that will squash all the Affleck naysayers.

The film opens with a Boston community coming together over the recent kidnapping of Amanda, the daughter of Helen McCready (Amy Ryan). Losing confidence in the police with each passing day that Amanda isn’t found, the family turns to Patrick (Casey Affleck) and Angie (Michelle Monaghan), two private detectives who have never taken on a case of this size. The two soon butt heads with local law enforcement, particularly Remy (Ed Harris) and Nick (John Ashton) who don’t really appreciate a couple of amateurs stepping in on their case.

Ben Affleck couldn’t have asked for a better cast. Michelle Monaghan, who wasn’t all that great in The Heartbreak Kid, has some great material to work off and delivers a great performance. Veterans like Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman, who plays the police officer in charge of the case and someone who’s lost a child of his own, both deliver great performances. Affleck may have some of the most talented working actors backing his directorial debut, but it’s his younger brother, Casey, that really propels this film into something to remember. One could make an argument that Casey Affleck could be nominated twice this year for The Assassination of Jesse James, where he shows up Brad Pitt, and now here where he tackles the role of the young detective who’s in over his head.

Affleck handles this Boston community perfectly; I’ve never been to Boston but feel like I’ve been there before with how Affleck paints this picture of this tragic stricken community. It’s a perfect fit for the actor, he loves Boston and it shows, he knows this city very well. Looking back at Good Will Hunting, of which Affleck won his Oscar for writing (shared with buddy Matt Damon), it’s another film that the city is a major character. In many ways, Gone Baby Gone is more of a companion piece to Good Will Hunting than it is Mystic River.

Overall, Gone Baby Gone is an amazing achievement for the Affleck brothers. For Casey who turns in the best performance of his young career, and Ben who co-writes and directs. It’s one of the best films of the year in every aspect.