Gone Baby Gone (2007) User Reviews

Will Keep You Debating On What Is Truly Right

[alexkolokotronis · 8/10 · 16 February 2008]

I had wanted to see this movie for sometime now. I have finally gotten to see it and can tell you it is no disappointment. This movie had a particular touch that gave a genuine and authentic feeling to it. Ben Affleck has a way of writing about life on the streets in Boston that just grabs you. Good Will Hunting was a fine example of that but Gone Baby Gone displayed his directing abilities as well. This movie appeared that it could fall apart any second but yet the story held up and managed to get its message out. Ben Affleck seems to be very creative and knows how to get your attention right when he want you to.

I had not expected Casey Affleck to play as well either because there were so many compliments made toward his performance I expected something totally different. Yet he also brought this authenticity in his acting like Ben did in his directing. Youn could just see the look in his eyes that he was totally into it, he was it. He gave a great portrayal of a detective that should have earned him an Oscar nomination. Also a great supporting cast was put in place with Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris and Amy Ryan. All of them gave engaging performances as well. Amy Ryan especially with her performance as the mother of her girl who is the centerpiece of this story. I believe if it was not for her this movie could have very easily fallen into an ordinary movie.

What really made up the movie was the message. After all what is a movie without a message. This movie did not try to pretend to be deep or try to impress. It did what it had to do, asking the a very tough question. Is the right thing to do always the right decision to make and do the ends justify the means? I advise you not to miss this movie and definitely watch this with a friend or family member.

Great Baby Great

[RussyPelican · 9/10 · 24 October 2007]

When I went into the theater to see Gone Baby Gone, Casey Affleck was not what I pictured when I read Dennis Lehane's Patrick Kenzie novels. But he won me over and will now forever be Kenzie as far as I'm concerned.

Gone Baby Gone is a tough and gritty movie about a child abduction and the lives it destroys. You can see the end coming a little too early in the movie, but it's still fascinating watching Kenzie slog through a lot of awful stuff before you get there. Ben Affleck has proved that he can direct a movie with the best of them. There was nothing slack or boring for the entire running time, and the ending will give you something to argue about over dinner after watching the movie.

The best detective movie I've seen in a while.

WOW, Better than I expected

[ssflady1963 · 9/10 · 20 October 2007]

Anytime a movie can get you to pause and consider a moral dilemma (what would I have done?) while watching it definitely deserves a high mark in my book!! This movie showed the very raw, mean streets of Boston's underbelly and didn't sugar-coat anything. I liked that it was real and not made all pretty for film as in so many other films of late. I have/will recommend this movie to all my friends. Kudos to Casey Affleck, Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris. This was, so far, the best movie I've seen in 2007. I haven't been impressed with Ben Affleck in front of the camera, but maybe he's found his niche - behind the camera? Just go see it.

When Keeping It Real Goes Right

[the_Poppuns · 10/10 · 19 October 2007]

I would consider myself to be a movie buff and I live and grew up in Massachusetts. I must tell you that Ben Affleck has done an outstanding job in his directorial debut. In casting his brother Casey you may think that it's just nepotism or giving his brother a break. No. He is the absolute perfect person to play this role. Because they know the area they have made one of the most authentic movies I've ever seen. And it's not just some Boston movie either. I heard a woman as I was leaving saying it's just like The Departed. No it's not, it's much better and the fact is, I loved The Departed. But that was flashier. As great as it was you could tell people were acting. Not here. They seemed exactly like the degenerates and handful of decent folk I see every day of my life. The woman who plays the girl's mother, I don't know who see is, but I've met her about 1000 times.

As far as the story goes I'd never spoil it for you but it's complex, not confusing. There is a lot going on and it's so real. I don't know what's happened in this area but people have become so lousy. So lousy that if you're a good person you just don't know what can be done anymore. There seems to be no answer sometimes and this film is set in that world. If you have the brains and heart to try you don't even know what will come of it.

Who should see this? Intelligent people. People who want to come out of a movie thinking about what they just saw. People who want to see an incredibly well made film. And anyone who ever liked Ben Affleck even for half a second. He should be very proud of this movie. As far as content there are loads of curse words, some drug use, but no nudity that I can remember, and there is some gun violence, but nothing too bad. Put it high on your movie going list.

Ben Affleck crafts a disturbing emotional adaptation.

[dead47548 · 10/10 · 22 October 2007]

After a decade of critically disgraced performances and brutal public humiliation year after year, Ben Affleck took a well deserved break from the Hollywood scene. This year he came back, but instead of taking the spotlight by starring in a film, he went behind the scenes and opted to direct his first feature film. Taking an example from another actor turned director, a little independent man named Clint Eastwood, he decided to adapt a novel written by Mystic River author Dennis Lehane. On the surface, Gone Baby Gone tells the story of a missing child and the two private investigators who are hired to find her. The story transforms into a highly disturbing tale of selfish, terrifying characters and the fact that no matter what people never change.

In deciding who to play the leading role of the intelligent, reserved, moral and slightly naive Patrick Kenzie, Ben looked no further than his brother Casey. Initially this may seem like a bad idea with lots of sibling tension on the set, but the decision couldn't have been a better one. After years of under-the-radar brilliance, Casey gets to show his acting genius in the leading role of a powerful, emotionally drenching work. I love the fact that everyone is finally getting to see what a true wonder this young actor is, with talent greater than the majority of actors I've ever seen no matter what their age. He's getting a large amount of critical recognition for his flawless turn in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, but he is almost as exceptional in this one. Counterbalancing Kenzie is his mature and equally intelligent partner and lover, Angie Gennaro played by the beautiful Michelle Monaghan. The two of them grew up on the streets of Boston and therefore are pursued to use their relationships with the criminals involved to help find the men who kidnapped this little girl. This leads the audience on a highly engaging and very disturbing journey through the lowest forms of scum in the Boston population and a climax that is just as surprising as it is haunting.

The second half starts with another missing person's case and Kenzie discovers something that forces him to bring back Detective Remy Bressant (Ed Harris), a character who he didn't end on the best of terms with in the first act. In an act of high tension and in the face of an ultimate evil, Kenzie makes a decision that he immediately regrets and is the first time he really matures in the film and falls into a moral crisis as he witnesses the true personalities of those around him and re-evaluates everything in his life. A conversation with Bressant soon after this act provides a stage for Ed Harris' remarkable display of talent in one of his career best performances. However a revelation Kenzie makes during this conversation leads us into an even darker world of corruption within the police, back to the victims of the original crime and a lesson that sometimes the most morally righteous can people can do terrifying things if they believe it is for the greater good.

Another stirring revelation leads Affleck to the film's second big twist that I didn't see coming from a mile away. He finds moral corruption, again 'for the greater good', in the most unexpected place and is led to one of the most arduous and unimaginable decisions I've ever seen put on film. I won't spoil anything, but it's safe to say that this was the first and only time I've ever put myself in the shoes of a character on screen and wondered what I would do in his situation. It's a decision I don't think I could ever make, and one of the most painful scenes of the year. Watching Affleck's expression and the pain in his eyes is truly gutwrenching. In his decision we eventually see that even in the most emotionally straining situations and no matter how much they say they will, people never change. I found that to be the final moral of the film, and the ending was haunting, cathartic and emotionally painful as we see Kenzie living with the fact that maybe his decision was the wrong one but he still tries to do the morally just thing in the end.

Ben Affleck has come back strong to the Hollywood scene by avoiding public humiliation and realizing that the film would be miles superior if he directed instead of starred in it. There is one minor flaw in this feature, and that is that it felt to me like three different films. There are two clear cut endings, but the film picks back up afterwards on the road to the final conclusion. With each new story comes depth and disturbance from the characters and overall plot, so one can easily ignore this very minuscule flaw. His casting was flawless from the stunning magnificence of Casey Affleck to the Oscar-worthy Ed Harris to the critically praised grieving mother Amy Ryan. Gone Baby Gone is certainly one of the best films this year, and I hope it's not forgotten come awards season, particularly in the form of it's reborn director and flawless leading man (as well as the rest of this multi-talented cast). A deeply disturbing and thoroughly engaging picture that is sure to stay on my mind for days.

See it before it's gone, baby, gone!

[brefane · 7/10 · 12 November 2007]

Ben Affleck's impressive directorial debut features some remarkably naturalistic performances, a genuine sense of locale, and an atmosphere of despair and hopelessness that becomes a major antagonist. An honestly downbeat film, it portrays a mode of existence where nothing is black or white, and it is that gray area that the film explores so effectively even if I find the story from Dennis Leheane's novel to be a bit far-fetched and convoluted. More than The Departed, Mystic River, and Peter Yates' The Friends of Eddie Coyle, Gone, Baby, Gone understands the inter-relationship among cops, criminals, and a neighborhood as they search for a missing child. Though the boyish Casey Affleck is arguably miscast as Patrick, a character who was more mature in the novel, his performance cannot be faulted and by the end he has won us over. The last scene is particularly resonant. Though well-known actors such as Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman are expectedly good, it is the performances of an unknown supporting cast that gives the film a disturbing authenticity. And Amy Ryan as the child's mother gives a trenchant performance. Director Affleck maintains an admirable tone of objectivity and compassion throughout, and he has made a film that is worthy of your time. Go!Baby!Go!

A masterpiece

[Craig_McPherson · 10/10 · 21 October 2007]

Every once in a while, amid the dross that reviewers have to sit through, comes a movie that hits like a sucker punch to the gut and haunts you long after you've left the theater. Such is the case with Gone Baby Gone.

Based on the book by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River), Gone Baby Gone marks the directorial debut of Ben Affleck, who also penned the screenplay in tandem with Aaron Stockard, and easily puts him at the front of the line for Oscar contention.

Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan star as a pair of private investigators based in the rough working class Dorchester district of Boston. The two are hired by the family of a missing four-year-old girl to assist the police investigation because of their street connections and ability to get people to talk who otherwise would never open up to a cop. As they navigate through the neighborhood's seamy underbelly of pimps, drug dealers and crack whores they uncover an ever-expanding mystery that takes on the added dimension of provoking the question of just what is right and what is wrong, firmly pitting both story and viewer in a struggle between situational ethics and moral absolutes.

Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris round out an impressive cast, but it's the younger Affleck who takes this movie on his back and runs with it, easily surpassing his director brother in terms of acting breadth and range. This is no slight to Ben, however. It's been a long time since I was this impressed with a directorial debut, and even longer since I was given cause to reflect upon the values that we hold dear as individuals and a society, and the moral foundations upon which they are based. Gone Baby Gone manages both, and wraps it up in a hard-hitting detective story that serves as much to satisfy the baser urges of bar fights and gun play, as it does tackling bigger issues.

It's also one of those rare movies in which it can easily be said that the less you know about the story going in, the richer the experience. There's no clear twist ending to give away, but rather a layered story that unfolds like a Russian stacking doll with a moral dilemma at its core.

One thing I do feel comfortable revealing, however, is that this movie comes about as close as any can to being a bonafide lock come Academy Award time. Congrats Ben, you may well have redeemed yourself from your J-Lo/Gigli reputation at last.

Flawed film with a great deal of promise

[blackburnj-1 · 7/10 · 9 December 2008]

It is now largely forgotten that Ben Affleck's big break was not as an actor in but as a writer of "Good Will Hunting". His career has never lived up to the promise of his performance in that film (a quiet and subtle display) and has been overshadowed by the success of his friend and co-Oscar-winner, Matt Damon. With "Gone Baby Gone", Affleck moves back behind the camera, directing and writing, whilst his brother Casey, who really impressed in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford", takes the lead.

The film is a gritty thriller at first, with a quite masterful opening which is engrossing and effective. The sense of location is evident from the start and both Afflecks demonstrate their talents. Casey is an interesting screen presence, and Ben is an unfussy director with an eye for location and images.

The film is served well be the stellar cast. Ed Harris is very good, as is Michelle Monaghan and the Oscar nominated Amy Ryan is fantastic, whilst Morgan Freeman is Morgan Freeman, which is nice. They do make the film easy to watch, even though the subject matter, focussing on child abduction, is difficult to deal with.

However, although the subject matter is treated well throughout most of the film, its fatal flaw is that it lets itself go in the third act. The plot twists and turns three times toward the end to lose nearly all credibility and then loses any that it had left by landing on a truly unbelievable conclusion. Its focus on character is not lost, but it is still a disappointment to see such a tightly played drama unwind at the end.

Nevertheless, this film has much promise. Its subject matter should be a consideration for anyone who is thinking of seeing this, but it is an intelligent and interesting film which is worth watching, mainly because of what it might be the precursor of.

I was surprised at this movie being so good

[loquegustas · 10/10 · 20 October 2007]

Being retired I have all the time in the world to do what pleases me. And seeing movies pleases me a lot, so much that I see almost everything, good, regular, bad and really baaaad. Seeing a movie for me is being at the cinema showing it, paying for my ticket, and I hardly ever watch a movie in TV, direct or recorded. This means that in order to keep up with my statement of seeing almost everything I go to see movies a minimum of five and a maximum of seven days per week, and some days I attend several movies (this is not an exaggeration), meaning that I do get to see 250 to 300+ movies every year.

Today, 10/20/07 I was trying to decide what to see and Gone Baby Gone was not in my menu, as even though I go so often to the movies I had not seen any trailer for this movie nor heard anything about it. Perusing the newspaper the synopsis attracted me and I decided to see it. As Gone Baby Gone progressed I found myself being really pull into the story, living it together with the characters, through the splendid direction, editing and camera work. As the movie ended I thought to myself: "This is why you go see so many bad and regular movies, so you will not miss the occasional good one and the rare excellent movie".

"Gone Baby Gone" is easily the best movie I have seen this year. And that includes most of the art, foreign or indie movies that I also attend religiously. Unless something out of this world comes out in the next six weeks, this is my candidate for the Oscar to the best picture and Ben Affleck should also be nominated for best Director.

Too many suspects...

[dydascobusiness · 6/10 · 10 March 2021]

It was.. eh good. I understand the hype. I do. I get it. Not gonna explain the story but there are WAY TOO MANY NAMES. Let's keep things simple but maintain a simple storyboard. A cop, a detective, a convict, a voluntary detective, a detectives drugged best friend, a drug king, a drug mule, a drug captive, a homocide detective, a grieving mother, a brother in law, a sister in law, a police chief, a blah blah Jesus Christ. WAY too many people. I got lost after 39 minutes. Ben you have done great in a lot of films but keep it simple like Mystic River like old times(:

People Cannot Choose, but They Are Fruit of Their Town, Neighborhood and Family

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 13 May 2008]

The tough private eyes Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) was raised in a poor and dangerous neighborhood of Boston, and works with his partner and girlfriend Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) generally tracking missing losers in debt. When the four year-old Amanda McCready (Madeline O'Brien) is abducted from her apartment, her aunt Beatrice 'Bea' McCready (Amy Madigan) calls the police and the press, and the case is highlighted with the spots by the media. Then Bea hires the reluctant Patrick to work in the case because he is not a cop and based on his great knowledge of their neighborhood. Meanwhile Capt. Jack Doyle (Morgan Freeman), who lost his own daughter many years ago and is in charge of the investigation, assigns detectives Remy Bressant (Ed Harris) and Nick Pole (John Ashton) to give the necessary support to Patrick. After interviewing the addicted low life mother of Amanda, Helene McCready (Amy Ryan), Patrick goes to a bar and discloses that Helene was on the streets with her boyfriend Skinny Ray Likanski (Sean Malone) dealing and using drugs on the day Amanda disappeared. Along his investigation, Patrick faces smalltime criminals, drug dealers, pedophiles and corruption, facing a moral issue to solve the case.

"Gone Baby Gone" is an impressive debut of Ben Affleck as director of feature. The story is original, supported by an outstanding screenplay with several plot points and a polemic conclusion, and the performances are great. The moral and ethical codes of the lead character Patrick Kenzie seem to follow his thoughts, when he says that people cannot choose, but they are fruit of their town, neighborhood and family. His polemical and controversial decision in the end, right or wrong, selfish or right, is certainly another attraction in this great film. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Medo da Verdade" ("Afraid of the Truth")

Overrated but mildly worthwhile

[oneloveall · 6/10 · 13 January 2008]

A somewhat entertaining morality drama of the Hollywood variety, this baby doesn't really get going until the convoluted first and second acts are played out, culminating in a more emotionally involving conclusion. Speckled with much homegrown Bah-stonian flavor, the newfound directorial talents of big bro Ben Affleck to portray the city he loves with a notion of gritty integrity perhaps overwhelms with some shiftily stereotypical minor characters- both in look and delivery, but the core cast remain strong enough to let the overcooked plot come to a gentle simmer when we finally are able to understand what all the messy details add up to. The result is certainly far shy of the riveting, infinitely ponderous conclusion some have suggested, but still absolutely enough to make for a decent night of serious entertainment for mainstream American audiences.

Worth the watch but can't get over the ridiculous plot

[premedprincessxo · 5/10 · 1 April 2021]

Interesting movie in that it makes you think about ethical decision-making in tough situations. It is worth a one-time watch. However, the acting of the lead actor is dreadful and so is the girlfriend's. Thankfully there is a strong supporting cast to pick up the slack in that department.

Ultimately, the story is absolutely ridiculous. Also somewhat "out of left field" in the last 1/3 of the film. I could have just gone with it if the entire movie had the same vibe to it but the entire beginning and middle were intentionally misleading. Why did the cops with this seemingly elaborate conspiracy going on feel the need to involve these rookie private investigators so deeply in the investigation the entire time? They could have got away with this absurd "plan" if they had not literally dragged in this investigator to help them solve their own crime. Additionally, the brother could have just called social services and gotten the little girl taken away and requested the chief as her foster/adoptive parent. What cops would do all this? Of yeah, Hollywood cops.

Overall, seems like they had a good idea for this moral conflict the lead faces at the end but just did not have the brain power to create an intelligent narrative around it.

Into the depths

[mikekuch · 9/10 · 20 October 2007]

It's become a hobby of mine this past year to watch IMDb's top 250, AFI's top 100 and all Oscar winning (and most nominated) films. I've seen over 100 films in just the past year alone, but I am struggling to think of a film that I enjoyed more.

The performances are outstanding. All of the characters- including the city itself - are filled with depth and ambiguity. Like a previous post mentioned, Amy Ryan did a phenomenal job as Helene, not only do I know many people like her, I'm related to some. I didn't even recognize her from her wonderful performance in the Wire.

The questions that this movie asks as it unfolds do not get answered in by the closing credits, and they still aren't answered as I type. Who was right? Is there a right answer? Morgan Freeman- the greatest actor alive- and Ed Harris give standard upper echelon performances. But I was surprised by Michelle Monaghan and especially Casey Affleck. He didn't flinch, and he didn't compromise his ideals, but in the end compromised nonetheless. I hope he gets a nomination.

Ben Affleck lost my favor somewhere around the time he began to cry in Armageddon, and I haven't taken him seriously since. But his achievement here, the pace, the mood, the spot on capturing of the desolate neighborhood, and the overall story leads me to anxiously await his next directorial effort.

The best film I've seen in years.

One of the Year's Best

[brenttraft · 9/10 · 20 October 2007]

"Gone Baby, Gone" is one of the best films of the year. It is being compared to "Mystic River" and "The Departed" because it takes place in Boston, but I actually liked it better than either of those films.

The opening credits start with the camera showing close ups of people's faces. The close ups are a recurring theme throughout the movie. It's because this is not just a film about a child kidnapping. It is a film about people and that is what lifts this film above so many others.

Director Ben Affleck shows confidence and style in his first film. After this, he does not need to perform in any more films. He is a much better writer and director than he is an actor.

All the performances in the film are superb. Casey Affleck has to carry the film and he does a great job. He is a stoic, deadpan, detective. But unlike the Noir detectives of the past, he is not a loner. He has a lot of friends and he has his girlfriend played by Michelle Monaghan help with the investigation. He uses his connections to find out things the police cannot.

Beyond that, the less you know the better.

If you like crime dramas that also work as character studies, you should run out and see "Gone Baby, Gone."

the truth essence

[Kirpianuscus · 23 March 2021]

I love Ben Affleck as director. This film is one of good motives. Because it is an impecable moral/ religious film. A great one, in fact. A film about apparences and cold fair decision. About parenthood and its profound meanings. About naivety or innocence or acceptance of tough decision consequences. An admirable cast, impressive acting and the wise way to tell the perfect story because, in so many senses, it is the story of the viewer. And , sure, the beautiful job of Cassey Affleck is the axis of a film who, in fact, represents more than a masterpiece but a challenge to the public.

A well-done mystery thriller with a melancholy tone that never lets up and ultimately leaves the viewer a little more sad than satisfied.

[Paragon240 · 7/10 · 23 July 2022]

Ben Affleck's debut as a director was a decent start. Gone Baby Gone is a crime thriller with significant surprises and twists. The excellent cast and performances accentuated the emotional toll of working on a kidnapping case, and that emotional weight saturates every aspect of the film. Unfortunately, that heavy tone makes the movie a little challenging to enjoy. The dismal and somber mood throughout left me just feeling sad at the end. That poignant hopeless nature was clearly the goal and was well executed but keeps it from being a traditionally "enjoyable" film.

Gone but Never Forgotten

[ClaytonDavis · 10/10 · 20 October 2007]

In his directorial debut, Ben Affleck has completely morphed himself into an emerging artist and even more challenging director. Gone Baby Gone might be the most innovative and moral challenging film of recent years. This is the story of young Amanda, a little girl who mysteriously disappears from her home and the activity and dangers that befall upon the people involved in her finding.

The film stars Affleck's brother Casey as Patrick, in his most challenging and engrossing performance to date. Not since Sean Penn in Mystic River has a role been so subdued yet immensely victorious and depth defying in choice of delivery and spot on emotions. Casey Affleck has paved the way for himself in roles that demonstrate the actor's showcase and give the performer range. It's a bit odd what to make of the younger Affleck in the upcoming awards season. He fairs a better shot for his earlier raved performance in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford for a nomination, but his performance in Gone Baby Gone is far more superior. Especially with upcoming prospects such as Daniel Day-Lewis, Johnny Depp and other big name talents, it'll be a tough road ahead for him.

Ed Harris, who's been long "overdue" for Oscar recognition is purely haunting in his role as Remy, a hard-nosed cop looking for young Amanda. In one scene in particular, Harris shines and gives his best portrayal since The Hours. Although his character is a bit one-dimensional, Harris elevates the material and turns it into his show and steals frame after frame in a role easily lost in a picture like this.

Morgan Freeman, in a role we have not seen him in before, plays Captain Jack Doyle, the head of the missing persons unit with personal experience in the loss of a child. Freeman, although absent for most of the narrative, sugar coats the top acting talent in the picture. Freeman's agenda into more range projects in his older career is reaffirming his Oscar win in 2003 for Million Dollar Baby, but now with the more rewarding films worthy of consideration.

Michelle Monaghan who's a bit of an unknown face, plays Angie, Patrick's significant other who's personal fears interfere with her involvement in the case. To be honest, Monaghan gets lost in the shuffle and while the audience empathizes with her throughout the latter of the film, she's placed into a role easily overshadowed by stronger characters. Perhaps being the only strong woman role would have gave us something to awe at, but not with the guns at full blaze at the hands of Amy Ryan.

Ryan plays Amanda's mother Helene, definitely not the most likable of characters but tragic in character arc. It's like a full on tennis match going back and forth with Ryan and audience; the viewer is hating her one moment and then needing to hold her the next. Helene is multi-layered and grasps her own importance of parenting and the whole film it becomes a fallen angel lost in the fire. That is the tragedy of the film, a film not only about the loss of a little girl, but the loss of innocence and the torment that betrayal, guilt and corruption can weigh on our souls.

Ben Affleck is completely in control of this film, which he has lacked in his performances often. He knows what the mission is of this picture and would gladly take a spot amongst some bigger, older talents among Oscar prospects this year. Along with Co-adapting the film with Aaron Stockard, if Oscar is feeling like inviting Affleck to the Kodak, the screenplay category seems like a better fit, especially with an already win for Good Will Hunting. Other possibilities for consideration is wonderful cinematography by John Toll and a great musical score by Harry Gregson-Williams.

Comparisons to Mystic River are all about, being done by the same author how could we expect no less. Mystic River had more of the message of the domino effect of one's actions on others, Gone Baby Gone brings it to a new level. This film is about a society, a society who has lost the importance of innocence and the beauty of life. It focuses on the beauty of children and rest assure, when the film is over, if you're not yearning to be a better parent of embrace a child as a blessing, there is probably emptiness in your chest. This film is marvelous, beautiful and spectacular. A must-see film of the year and a pleasant surprise coming from Ben Affleck.

Grade: ****/****

Good atmosphere ruined by preposterous plot.

[JapaneseDad · 6/10 · 19 January 2008]

This film reminded me of Mystic River: great location, good acting, utterly preposterous plot that relies on a crime committed against a child for fake emotional weight.

The twist in the story, that a gang of police officers would participate in a murder and kidnapping plot to 'rescue' a child from a broken home, has probably never happened in the history of modern North America. Given that, how can you buy it as the central device of the movie?

A really good movie wouldn't have to rely on cheap 'save-the-children' sentimentality to give the film moral weight, and its too bad when you realize that a great Dorchester location and a very compelling Casey Affleck are wasted when the absurdity of the story reveals itself about halfway though.

Often, doing the right thing isn't so simple.

[lewiskendell · 8/10 · 17 August 2010]

"I will hate you for doing this, and I don't want to."

There have been a lot of solid movies set in Boston in recent years, but Gone Baby Gone tops even The Departed and Mystic River, as good as they both were. What starts off as a story about a missing child evolves into one of the most thought provoking and genuinely compelling movies that I've seen.

Ben Affleck has real talent as a director, and did an excellent job of maintaining the authenticity of both the story of the Dennis Lehane novel and the neighborhood that it's set in. Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, and Amy Ryan were all perfectly cast, and give stellar performances.

Gone Baby Gone is just one of those movies that it's hard to find a flaw with. It's expertly made, sticks with you, and doesn't offer any easy answers. Highly recommended.

It's Not What I want Out Of A Story

[The_Defiant1 · 7/10 · 11 November 2007]

This is an extremely well made movie. It is an extremely well acted movie. Despite being well done and telling a captivating story, it just isn't what I want from a story or a movie in general. Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) are called in as private detectives by a family to investigate a missing child report. Jack Doyle (Morgan Freeman)and Detective Remy Bressant (Ed Harris) represent the reluctant, yet cooperative police department that works hand in hand with the private detectives. The story evolves as a mystery leading the viewer along as everyone sifts through the lies and cover-ups. While this story is quite emotional and disturbing at times, the final message is a bit anti-climactic. It comes across more as a social statement directed towards an American subculture than it does being a plausible series of events. In the end, it just all seems pointless. It isn't a bad movie, it just isn't how I'd want to spend 2 hours of leisure time. Casey Affleck does a great job at keeping the story on track. Michelle Monaghan plays a convincing girlfriend/assistant. Ed Harris & Morgan Freeman never skip a beat on making you feel distressed about the little girl being lost. The ending just made me not care about how well it was acted and composed. Ben Affleck's role as director and screenplay writer seems to be invisible just as it should be. Anyone wishing to praise him or criticize his role, should spend their time reviewing his past work, not this piece.

Ben hit a commercial and social home run !

[a-d-resource · 9/10 · 3 October 2007]

People everywhere cringe at the thought of their child being abducted. Anyone who has watched any of the prime-time news channels in the last several years can see that every major news network devotes huge amounts of time to abduction and kidnapping stories. This is a clear reflection of the heart and conscience of a global society today. Every single human has a family, and knows from a primal understanding that all children are innocent, and are dependent on 2 parents and their extended families to protect them, teach them, and guide them down a path toward independence in the world.

This movie raises one of many important questions in a long overlooked subject ….children's rights.

I was happy to see that when facing a tough decision of how to end the movie, Ben Affleck decided to choose for the rights of the child. In a discussion after the directors screening I attended, Ben said "in real life, you never know if it's right or wrong, but you have to take a side, and live with the consequences". Casey Affleck said "any other choice would be crazy and irresponsible…you can't take kids". Amy Ryan said "lets help the parents "(who need help), "its about breaking the cycle". Clearly working on this film has raised these actors / director personal awareness on the issue of child abduction. As I am sure this movie will for all who see it.

As the father of an abducted child, and a person who has devoted most of my life to this work since my daughter was abducted, I have to say that this film ….from beginning to end, handled such a challenging subject with a sensitivity and completeness. I am very impressed… and Ben has made me a believer in his work. Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard definitely did their due diligence in real research. There are many important aspects of real world abductions handled well here….and it is all in a Hollywood movie that contains the kind of action and drama and intrigue, that filmmakers seem to have to use to get the tickets sold.

I was especially impressed with the coming of age of the character Casey played, Patrick …a guy who didn't exactly know where he fit in his community, until he decided "I'm gonna bring her home". With a certain naivete' in the world , he is driven to stand by his principles. The line "I believe the government when they tell me something" explains him well. But eventually he has a moment of clarity and growth and says "I must have remembered it wrong". This is the moment of his acceptance that the government, corrupt police, and anyone ….is fallible and has shortcomings. We all have personal and political agendas that if backed into a corner, will defend, right or wrong, and the rest of the world can't change that. Its a moment that defines the rest of his life.

Amy Ryan does a great job playing her character… a bad role-model for a parent. Those stereotypes on Jerry Springer exist in real life, and they have children. Many are not able to put the children first in their lives, for whatever the reason. All of us probably live near one.

My hat is off entirely to Ben Affleck and all. Children seem to be able to survive incredible events and trauma. They seem to rebound against all odds without obvious damage sometimes. In the end, all will be revealed. But for now …. We are left to ask ourselves and those around us ….When that child grows up, and finds out that he or she was abducted, or when that abducted child says "they stole me"...... Who will stand up and answer for and apologize to her for not helping to return her to her lawful parents? Definitely go see the movie ,

Patrick Braden October 2 2007

Nice and well played thriller with a lot of surprises, twists and turns

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 19 March 2020]

Good thriller, though some downbeat, adapted from a novel written by Dennis Lehane. Here Ben Affleck gives a top-notch directorial debut. When little Amanda goes missing, despair emerges and hopes are dim. She is from a noisy neighbourhood where residents are not disposed to talk to the cops who are investigating the case : Ed Harris, John Ashton under superior orders to Police chief : Morgan Freeman. While her druggie mummy : Amy Ryan, has incurred the wrath of a drug kingpin. Those are reasons enough for Amanda's devoted uncle :Titus Welliver and aunt : Amy Madigan to contract a young team of private detectives , the soft-spoken, wry Patrick Kenzie : Casey Affleck, and enjoyable Angie Gennaro : Michelle Monaghan. But then things go awry when the investigation deepens with turns as well as twists, where doing the right thing begins to look all wrong and viceversa.

A decent thriller steeped in the unkillable grudges , continuous betrayals , compelling ambiguities, dark secrets and tribal loyalties of South Boston. All of them finish into an astonising ending, in a conclusion puzzle-solving development that turns to be convoluted and surprising, at the same time. Main cast and support cast are very well. Casey affleck, director's brother, is terrific. He is the film's backbone playing the obstinate eye private, being helped by his colleague and girlfriend, Michelle Monaghan in an inert role, both of them carry out the deep investigation that ends up into fateful consequences. Ed Harris is fantastic as the cynical, squinty police inspector who investigates the case along with the forgotten secondary of the 80s John Ashton. Of course, the great Morgan Freeman as the heartbroken police chief who knows sorrow all too well. But is Amy Ryan who steals the show as the junkie mother, she creates a role who is at once pathetic and fearsome.

It displays an evocative and dark, at times, cinematography by the fine professional cameraman John Toll. As well as thrilling and stirring musical score by Harry Gregson-Williams. The motion picture was competently directed by the famous actor and director Ben Affleck, though it has some flaws and it results to be a little depressing and disagreeable. Ben Affleck is a good actor who has starred a lot of big boxoffice movies as Suicide squad, Smokin' aces, Paycheck, Daredevil, The company men, Armageddon , Pearl Harbor, Good Will Hunting. He has also directed a few and well-deemed films, such as Live by night, The Town, Gone baby gone and his greatest hit : Argo that had seversl Academy Awards. Rating 7/10. Better than average. Worthwhile watching.

It was almost there...

[Polaris_DiB · 3/10 · 28 February 2008]

The first two-thirds of this movie is honestly great. Ben Affleck presents a new level of dark and grit in a story about an abducted child, the private investigators hired to find her, and the local Boston community--a much more ugly background of extras typically used in even the most "social realist" of film works, where the grim of the street is more effectively incorporated into the scarred visages of people without make-up effects. It's a compelling and dark look at a reality where children go missing all the time, where the media has a field-day with the attention while real families are brought into conflict and even the emotional demands of cops are not fully brought into closure.

And then Affleck drops the ball, majorly. At somewhere around the 2/3rds point (give or take a percentage of the play time), suddenly the story switches gears with another one of those unnecessary "twists" that contemporary movies trying to increase the ante tend to throw into what was previously a well-crafted movie. At the point at which the cops are implemented into corruption and guilt for the crime is when almost all of the characters suddenly start working entirely against their motivations and all logic and realism is frankly tossed out the window. This wouldn't be such a problem if it wasn't for the fact that realism was part of the point. But mostly, we as audience are supposed to accept that the following conversation took place:

Titus Welliver: "Listen, I have this niece who I love but who unfortunately is being neglected and abused by her coke-addict mother. I would like some help in getting her away from this damaging environment." Ed Harris: "Okay, I know the captain of the child-abduction section of the police force is dealing with extreme issues of loss from his own child's death, so let's kidnap the girl and place the blame on the coke-dealers while he'll adopt her."

when in the really real world, where even corrupt cops like Ed Harris' character have their credibility to protect and cops like Morgan Freeman's captain would never actually agree to that crap, the conversation would have gone like this:

Titus: "Listen, I have this niece who I love but who is being neglected by her coke-addict mother, I would like to help her." Ed Harris: "Okay, here's the number and the names of some contacts I know in social services, while in the meantime I'll follow up on this whole coke-addiction lead and maybe get me some dealers and users in jail for some good Boston P.D. PR!"

Yep. Nonsense. The point of the movie, of course, is that these decisions create a real moral issue in the main character, played by Casey Affleck, who has to decide where the ethical ground lays and whether it may not be perversely better to allow Morgan Freeman to adopt the girl, albeit highly illegally and sinisterly. Except that crisis of morality makes no real sense and has no real importance in a situation in which none of the characters actually have a logical motivation for the crime. Instead, the movie is filled with truisms, pedophilia substories, and Catholic symbolism to show just how degraded our society can come to be in a way that basically makes this movie just a really intricate and fleshed-out episode of CSI: visceral and sensationally disturbing, but utterly absurd at heart. Too bad, because it was aiming more like "Chinatown" for a new generation.

There are other more minor problems with the movie, such as the fact that Casey's character's girlfriend pretty much doesn't need to be included: at first she plays the sensible foil and emotional weight of the two-character team, but that conflict could have easily been encased in Casey's role alone, especially as that very thing happens as the character gets more and more involved and the girlfriend, similarly, starts slowly phasing out of the plot... Secondly, whereas people can be violent, there seems to a strong inflection on the fact that these characters pretty much resort to violence before most other solutions. Add a scene which pretty much stands in for an unquestioned argument for capital punishment and vigilantism, and some of the less-fleshed out consequences of the narrative become disturbingly clear.

It was a good job on everyone's part, but MAN did it need a massive re-write and re-thinking, especially since it tries to sell itself as the type of movie people are supposed to mull over for weeks.

--PolarisDiB

Hardest Moral Question In Any Film

[lovemichaeljordan · 10/10 · 25 December 2023]

Discussing this film without delving into spoilers is challenging, but it's essential to note how it stands out from others in its genre, particularly towards the end. "Gone Baby Gone" starts as a detective story but evolves, introducing intense moral and philosophical questions that keep you on the edge of your seat. The film is replete with mind-blowing revelations and impressive plot twists.

Leonard Bernstein once said, "A work of art does not answer questions, it provokes them; and its essential meaning is in the tension between the contradictory answers." This film embodies that idea, posing perhaps the most challenging question I've ever encountered in cinema. Usually, I have an inkling of which side I lean towards, but with this film, I find myself completely lost in contemplation.

"Gone Baby Gone" is far more than a simple police drama; it's a profound exploration of morality. Is there a right answer to the puzzle it presents? Is there even a good choice to be made? The film is not only a stunning piece of entertainment from start to finish, but also a thought-provoking journey that lingers long after the credits roll.