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After a few flops in front of the camera, Ben Affleck decided to try working behind the camera instead. And in his directorial debut, Affleck works with what he knows�namely, his beloved Boston�and his little brother.
Casey Affleck stars as Patrick Kenzie, a private investigator in the south side of Boston. When a little girl disappears from his neighborhood, the girl�s aunt hires Patrick and his girlfriend, Angie (Michelle Monaghan), to help find her. Using his knowledge of the neighborhood�and the less-than-upstanding citizens who live there�Patrick discovers that there�s more to the case than just a woman losing her child.
Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane (who also wrote the novel behind Mystic River), Gone Baby Gone tells a strong story�but, unfortunately, it gets lost on a very long side trip along the way. In fact, the film feels more like two stories that were pasted together�until it all comes together again in the end. And the film�s ending is definitely a strong one. It�s one of those conclusions that I love�the kind that make you stop and think as you�re walking out of the theater. But, unfortunately, the journey there is pretty rough.
Perhaps I had a difficult time with the film because of the characters�and the actors who play them. And while I generally like Casey Affleck, it�s pretty clear that he�s not leading man material�or at least not yet. His performance is flat�and he seems out of place in his role as Patrick. The character isn�t all that solid to begin with�but Affleck seems lost in the role. Although the Afflecks grew up in Boston, Casey sticks out like a sore thumb on the streets of Southie. He may have the accent, but he just doesn�t have the grit. And his bland performance doesn�t help Ed Harris, whose performance as Detective Remy Broussard often comes off as totally over-the-top in comparison.
As for Affleck�s directing, I�ll cut the guy a little bit of slack�because when most directors make their first film, it�s something that�s shot for free in their parents� backyard, and it�s seen by approximately nine people. But since Ben Affleck is, well, Ben Affleck, there isn�t a lot of room for trial and error�or for crappy practice films. But you can tell that it�s his first time behind the camera. To his credit, there are some great moments, but there are also the moments when his constant cutting to close-up after close-up made my head spin�or when the dialogue is so slurred that it�s almost completely unintelligible. But, well, it could have been a whole lot worse. I�ll give him that much. And I have a feeling the next one will be better.
It�s really too bad, though, that so much of Gone Baby Gone feels disjointed and distracted�because it really does land a solid hit in the end. But it�s a long time coming�and, by that time, most of the audience�s interest will be gone, baby. Gone.
DVD Review:
The Gone Baby Gone DVD doesn�t really offer a whole lot of surprising features. Instead, you�ll find the old DVD standbys: an audio commentary and some deleted scenes, including the �thought-provoking extended ending� (which is almost exactly the same as the theatrical ending, only with two or three additional sentences of voiceover�and a shot of an old lady with a plastic bag on her head). You�ll also find two additional features�a making-of feature and a casting feature that covers each of the movie�s main characters. The most fascinating parts, however (or at least for someone who once lived in Boston), focus on the film�s main character: the city of Boston. The casting feature takes a look around the city, talking with a few of Boston�s �real people� who found themselves in local boy Affleck�s first movie.
If you missed Gone Baby Gone in theaters, though, it�s worth renting. In fact, Gone Baby Gone is probably best watched at home�because you can get some snacks or flip through the magazine on your coffee table when things slow down. Just be sure to pay attention for the last half-hour or so�because those last few scenes will have you talking for days.
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