Gone Baby Gone

Ben Afflek's new film "Gone Baby Gone" is a nice modern noir about a missing child, and the people who seemed to be involved in the plot. Affleck uses his brother Casey Afflek to portray Patrick Kenzine a private detective. His partner is played by Michelle Monaghan. The film depicts the underbelly of Boston. Affleck populates the cast with original actors from the area, and it gives the film a lot of credibility. John Toll does the cinematography, and it is the photography that makes the film seem very authentic. The film is from the novel by Denis Lehane, so the dialogue feels real. I liked the film, and felt it was a good debut for Affleck to do. I heard the budget was around $20 million, and it looks it. But what sells the film to me is the use of actual locals as actors. These parts aren't just for atmosphere, but the majority of the local players have actual lines. Along with the dialogue by Ben Affleck & Aaron Stockard who share screenplay credit the movie feels like a a tight and taunt little thriller. My problem with the film is why the characters do what they do. I won't give it away, but I'll say that good intentions go bad here, and how others don't know what the police are doing is beyond me. Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman all have good parts to play, and they do their best in the film, and their performances in the film are worth the price of admission. Affleck picked a nice tight script to make his directorial debut, and his work with the actors in the film make it an interesting film to see.