With a first hour that mirrors any other crime drama on television, and a powerful second half that leaves the audiences with their own thoughts as to how the events played out, Gone Baby Gone is a gripping, twist-filled story. Ben Affleck’s directorial debut is a strong one, almost always focused on the actors’ faces to gain the most from their fantastic performances.
The loaded cast is highlighted by Affleck’s brother, Casey. His talents portraying a private detective looking into the kidnapping of a little girl are showcased here in every frame. Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris are, as usual, phenomenal as trusting cops on the same quest.
The show stealer is Amy Ryan as the grieving mother. Her role is critical to the plot, and the emotional impact of the ending wouldn’t be the same if she came off any differently on screen. She plays the most convincing role in the film as the mother of the missing girl. Her performance was so superb that she was denied access to the set once when security didn’t believe she was an actress. They were convinced she was the drug snorting character she plays.
Gone Baby Gone hits audiences with a small, false ending at the halfway mark. Up until this point, both the actors and the sense of realism save the generic tone of the story. Things begin to pick up with the second half, loaded with intense action, false leads, and a wonderful sense of unpredictability. The film backtracks on itself multiple times to reveal new details on the same story, further throwing the viewer into disarray until the conclusion. Thanks to a finely tuned script and solid pacing, this is never confusing.
If anything goes wrong in Affleck’s debut as a director, it’s the rather jarring switch from the intense search for a child to an abrupt change of tone to corrupt police search. While the stories merge into a cohesive whole, for an extended period it feels as if the little girl’s side of the story is completed - and an hour of time has been wasted. Also, Michelle Monaghan’s character as Casey Affleck’s girlfriend is a throwaway. Her lines are cut short and typically pointless. She exists solely for one line near the end as a critical decision is made.
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