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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.
