Ben Affleck takes a lot of stick. With few exceptions his performances seem to attract a fair amount of derision. I’ve never really understood this. Yep, many of the films that he has been in are pure tripe but no one looked good in Pearl Harbor or Paycheck etc, besides he has also been very good in some very good films (Chasing Amy, Good Will Hunting, Changing Lanes, Jersey Girl – I’ve just lost some of you with that last one haven’t I?). Anyway, no matter what has gone before, you will look at him in a new light when you see his directorial début Gone Baby Gone.
Adapted (by Affleck) from the book by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River) the film follows a private detective (Casey Affleck) and his partner (Michelle Monaghan) who are hired to find a missing four-year-old girl amid some of Boston’s less picturesque neighbourhoods. As you can probably guess this film is not an easy watch, it incorporates themes such as paedophilia, abandomment and social deprivation and centres on the difference between doing a ‘good’ thing and the ‘right’ thing. All of this would be more than enough for an experienced director (see Clint Eastwood’s slightly overrated film of Mystic River) but Affleck handles it with such comfort that the film is nothing short of a revelation.
Affleck can’t claim all the credit though as the cast is nothing less than excellent. Whilst Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris provide the weight of experience the films belongs to the increasingly great Casey Affleck and Amy Ryan (familiar to fans of The Wire) who has been Oscar nominated for her portrayal of the missing girl’s mother. Both of these actors exude raw talent and ensure that the film packs an emotional punch missing from so many similar products.
Make to mistake about it, Ben Affleck and his younger brother Casey are seriously talented individuals who you need to keep an eye on. They are going to do some great great things.
8/10
The U.K. cinema release of Gone Baby Gone has been postponed due to perceived similarities with the case of Madeline McCann and will now be released 18 April 2008 it is, however, available to purchase on Region 1 DVD.
