Gone Baby Gone

Wow. This is an amazingly intense, emotional film. I've avoided it for a while, owing to the fact that it's directed by Ben Affleck and stars his little brother Casey, but I now owe them both an apology. Ben's directing and Casey's acting are top-notch, and make the emotional tension in the movie incredibly effective without crossing the line into melodrama. The subject matter (child abductions) makes this a difficult film to watch in and of itself, but Afflect handles it well, neither glorifying nor downplaying the terrible effects of these crimes. The actors (C. Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman) are superb and utterly believable. Above all, the questions the film presents about right and wrong, morality and integrity, hit me like a punch to the chest. I think everyone left the theater wondering whether the right dicisions were made and pondering what their own reactions would have been under the circumstances.

The highest prise I can give the movie though, is this: I watch a lot of movies, and I always try to keep myself detached and analytical, examining the film for technique and how it's trying to get me to react. This movie, though, pulled me in, and had me cringing, covering my eyes, and at one point audibly reacting to a scene of exceptional impact. Excellent work, and, for the first time since Good Will Hunting, I'm now looking forward to Ben Affleck's next offering.