Gone Baby Gone
2007 Directed by Ben Affleck
Synopsis
Everyone Wants The Truth... Until They Find It.
When a 4-year-old girl goes missing in a rough neighborhood, two private investigators reluctantly agree to take the case. But the investigation proves more complex than they could have imagined.
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Ben Affleck's directorial debut is ambitious, with a level of complexity that experienced directors would have had trouble capturing. Based on Dennis Lehane's novel of the same name, it almost feels like Affleck was destined to stumble upon this story. It follows Baston-based private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro who are hired to search for Amanda McCready, an abducted four-year-old girl. Amanda's mother, Helene, is a cocaine addict who worked as a dealer to help support her and had become involved with some very dangerous people. Patrick and Angela search the ghettos and slums of Boston in search of anyone who knows Helene with the assistance of two police officers.
About midway through the film a supposed conclusion is…
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Ben Affleck's directorial debut shows talent I never expected from such an average actor. I wouldn't say that it's as good Argo, but it's definitely one of the best debuts a director has ever had.
Starring Casey Affleck (my favourite of the Affleck brothers) and the lovely Michelle Monaghan, the characters are developed incredibly and the story is extremely powerful. It's complex but also compelling in the simplest of ways, and is sure to provoke an emotional response.
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After years of seeing Ben Affleck as a pretty shitty actor, who knew he would make for an incredible director?
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"Or: How I Learned to Forget About PEARL HARBOR and PAYCHECK and GIGLI and ARMAGEDDON and Love Ben Affleck"
I hadn't watched this in at least four years, and for some reason I was afraid it may not have aged well and I might not still think it holds up as one of the best films of 2007, along with the likes of ZODIAC, THERE WILL BE BLOOD, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, MICHAEL CLAYTON and GRINDHOUSE.
But nope. It is every bit as tight and focused, as suspenseful and heartrending, as well-acted, shot, directed, edited, and scored as I'd remembered, and the moral ambiguity of the ending is still stunningly well done. As much as I appreciate THE TOWN and ARGO, this is still Affleck's best and most soulful film, and one of the best thrillers of the last several years.
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Criminally underappreciated, "Gone Baby Gone" is mesmerizing. A morality play dressed as an abduction drama, the film boasts a robust, ideally assembled cast; lush, dreamily-naturalistic cinematography; and a script that combines tragic character detail with dialogue that sears. It is an excellent, gripping film, and an unexpected achievement from director, Ben Affleck.
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'When I was young, I asked my priest
how you could get to heaven and still protect yourself from all the evil in the world. He told me what God said to his children."You are sheep among wolves, be wise as serpents, yet innocent as doves."'
Sweet Jesus, Mr. Affleck. Were you just lulling us all into a false sense of scornful security?
Isn't it always slightly galling when someone you've completely written off produces something great? That's what Affleck's done here, in his first attempt behind the camera no less. He’s produced a masterpiece and now I feel silly.
People say, 'stick with what you know' and from the evidence onscreen, Affleck really knows Boston. I can't recall…
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Pretty good, liked the twists and turns. You could tell by the pacing it is adapted from a book, but that's not really a bad thing.
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Quite choppy and raw in places, but I think this is Affleck's most emotional and thought-provoking film he's made. Not as dramatic or tightly made as his newer work, yet delivers with an intriguing plot and some great acting. Impressive film, especially for his debut.
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Great film. Ben Affleck hits one out of the park with his directorial debut and he should keep on working behind the camera like this. Mystic River is one of my favorite movies and this film is not as good but it is a great film nonetheless. The plot twists at the end are great and Dennis Lehane is on my list of favorite novel authors after this one. Some of the acting performances were weak, however Amy Ryan was excellent. Well deserved recognition for her work in this movie as well as Casey. The rest of the actors are in debt, but I cant complain as the movie was gripping from beginning to end. I have enjoyed the latest police thrillers made in Boston like this one, The Departed, and Mystic River. They should keep them coming.
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Not the great movie I've heard some say it is, but it's serviceable.
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Ben Affleck's riff on film noir is steeped in a love of Boston, has a big heart, and ends up smarter than I ever imagined.
Like many classic film noir, we start out with a likable Private Eye reluctantly investigating something he shouldn't be, and eventually going on his own against a possibly inept and even corrupt police force. Other than a bold middle section where the protagonist and viewer have no idea what happened during a crucial scene near a river, there's nothing new here--until the final act. Patrick untangles the web of villains and well-meaning-quasi-villains, and the film noir melts away to reveal a social problem picture. The P.I. is left with a staggering dilemma that not only…
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I think I skipped this movie when it came out for the simple reason that it had a dumb sounding title, and I heard that a character in the movie says "gone baby gone" at one point in such an obvious way that it would make me laugh. Well that is certainly true, but I was still really impressed by Affleck's first movie as a director. It had a good story (and more thrilling than I expected) with good twists, except for one annoying thing that I hated - where they ended up going with one character in the second-to-last scene in the movie. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about, so I won't spoil it...but it was idiotic. How did that person think it could possibly play out successfully? Thankfully, I thought the final resolution provided a really good ending, and kept that one plot point from ruining an otherwise solid drama.
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What a directorial debut. This is a film that an accomplished director would turn out. Smart, adult filmmaking that tests the audience to pay attention and watch intently. The acting is universally great and although the story is tough and harrowing it never feels uncomfortable to watch as some films with similar subject matter can be.
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At the beginning I was really intrigued. The plot and everything was very interesting. The rest of the film is good, but not extraordinary.
Casey Affleck not too bad either.
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Ben Affleck's directorial debut is probably the strongest thing he'll do if you ignore how rough it is around the edges. He clearly has one objective in mind and that's to go all or broke.
The film is probably the weightiest film he's tackled so far and really takes major balls for a debut film for such a high profile star. The subject of child kidnapping is haunting stuff even to me, where I can usually distance myself from a film taking it as fiction. But here the portrayal is so raw and hit so close to news footage, it's very hard to truly distinguish from real life. I believe this is where Gone Baby Gone really excels, it tip…