|
Plot Summary:
“Gone Baby Gone” is about the kidnapping of four-year-old
Amanda McCready (Madeline O'Brien). Once missing the family
hires private investigator Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck)
and girlfriend/business partner Angie Gennaro (Michelle
Monaghan) to assist in the case. We then follow the two
rookie detectives and some hard-ass-cops (one being Taggart
from “Beverley Hills Cop”) through the grungy streets of
greater Boston. That’s the story in a nutshell, but let me
tell you, that’s a pretty tiny nutshell. In the words of the
great Optimus Prime “There’s more then meets the eye.”
I think I can... I think I can...
The Review:
Like most people, I was a tad skeptical when I heard Ben
Affleck was going to be directing a movie. Yeah, I knew the
guy was talented on some level because of “Good Will
Hunting”, but at this point I’ve seen so many “Ben being Ben
paycheck movies” that I thought he was more washed up than
making a solid career for himself. But in all honesty, “Gone
Baby Gone” didn’t suck hairy pimply balls and Ben Affleck
didn’t burn the set down. Surprised? That makes two of us.
“Gone Baby Gone” opens and there’s Casey Affleck
strutting around in his little jumper suit walking by one
Boston landmark after another. I then hear that hard Boston
accent from hard Boston extras and if I’m lucky see a few
teeth with it. I’m thinking what’s next, Matt Damon riding
the Red Line? Maybe some double burgers? This is part my
fault because, like so many of my friends, I obsessed about
Good Will Hunting when it first came out. But this whole
“Boston Casey Affleck thing” really made it hard for me to
take the film seriously, at first anyway.
Casey Affleck as Private Detective Patrick
Kenzie
Oddly enough, around twenty-minutes in I find that I’m
actually paying attention. This is partly because the film
is so dialogue driven that if I wanted to have any sense of
what was going on then I needed to stop thinking about that
new Hustler that came in the mail yesterday. Plus the cast
is so damn charismatic it’s nearly impossible not to be
sucked in. All my “Good Will Hunting” hang-ups were out the
window. That guy who jerked off in his best friend’s
catcher’s mitt was no more, and an inexperienced, but
determined, Detective Patrick Kenzie stood in his place.
Yes, I'm playing a cop again. So what's it to
you?
It’s also worth mentioning that I had absolutely no clue
what this film was about going in. I knew someone got
kidnapped, but that was it. ’m not one of those people who
spend the entire 120 minutes trying to figure out the twist
ending, or what really happened at the Alamo. Those people
drive me nuts. They’re right up there with people who eat
their own boogers. But “Gone Baby Gone” does have a great
story. It’s probably the film’s biggest asset. There’s just
twist after twist and I never saw any of them coming. It
always baffles me how filmmakers can still surprise me after
all the films I’ve seen, yet they still find a way to do it.
God bless em’.
Yes, that's Sergeant Taggart over on the
right there.
“Gone Baby Gone” raises questions regarding children in
our society; how we raise them, how we care for them, and
what we’d do to protect them. If you’re like me, when this
film ends you’ll be talking off the nearest ear you can
find. Just make sure to be polite and put it back on for
them. But when I put this movie in I was expecting some sort
of “Kiss the Girls” knock off, but it wasn’t, not even
close. This film brings a level of class, realism and
intensity that most “commercial thrillers”, like “Kiss the
Girls” can’t even touch.
The cast is also worth mentioning. Yeah we have stars
like Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris, who are as impressive as
usual, but what really surprised me were the performances by
Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan. These two people are
indeed movie starts, but you’d swear they weren’t. They feel
like your buddy from high school or maybe your next door
neighbor. They feel very real and because of that you feel
for everything they go through in the picture. I found
myself emotionally drawn to the story and I attributed that
to a great script by Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard (based
on a novel by Dennis Lehane) as well as Ben’s execution as a
director.
Where's a good Double Burger when you need
one?
Overall Thoughts:
Overall, I was truly impressed by “Gone Baby Gone”. So
much so that I’m looking forward to Ben Affleck’s
directorial career far more than his acting one. Well,
unless I’m watching Jersey Girl Two then I’m in. And go
Casey Affleck! You didn’t win the Oscar this time around
buddy, but something tells me it’s not too far off, just
don’t go jerking off on the little gold statue. I imagine
most people have already seen this film, but if you haven’t
then I highly recommend you check it out. It was honestly
one of the best films I’ve seen this year.
DVD Special Features and Specs:
• Thought Provoking Extended Ending
• Deleted Scenes With Optional Commentary by writer/director
Ben Affleck
• Going Home: Behind The Scenes with Ben Affleck
• Capturing Authenticity: Casting Gone Baby Gone
• Audio Commentary By Ben Affleck and co-writer Aaron
Stockard.
• Video: Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic)
• Audio: ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1
• Audio: SPANISH: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Audio: FRENCH: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Subtitles: Spanish, French
Blue-ray Special Features and Specs:
• Same features and specs as above except screen
resolution is 1080p
Associated Links:
• Video.movies.go.com
Official Site for the film Gone Baby Gone
• Movies.yahoo.com
Trailer and six clips
• DennisLehaneBooks.com
Official Site for the Author of Gone Baby
Gone
• Collider.com
Text interview with Casey Affleck
• Collider.com
Text interview with Ben Affleck
Rating System:
|
