Gone Baby Gone (R) 114 minutes B+
Affleck's Mystic Boston
Starring Casey Affleck, Morgan Freeman, Cathie Callanan, John Ashton, Madeline O'Brien, Michelle Monaghan, and Ed Harris
Once upon a time Ben Affleck was pretty cool (Chasing Amy, Good Will Hunting). But after receiving an Oscar in 1997, aliens abducted Affleck and brainwashed him into doing films like Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, and Surviving Christmas (Affleck also dated J-Lo for awhile, but I can't blame him or the aliens for that).
In 2005 Affleck's friends held an intervention and apparently it worked. Affleck is now doing respectable films again (Hollywoodland) and Gone Baby Gone is a very impressive directorial debut.
I didn't know much about the film before I saw it... and I'm so glad I didn't. This film surprised the hell out of me and I was completely taken aback by the outcome. Gone Baby Gone is a dark maze of mystery that leads to a moral dilemma. Based on the Dennis Lehane novel, Affleck does a great job of creating a gritty and disturbing atmosphere... similar to the film Mystic River (In which Lehane is also the author).
This is (Ben's little brother) Casey Affleck's best performance of his career, while Amy Ryan gives us an Oscar worthy portrayal of a drugged out, irresponsible grieving mother.
Welcome back Ben!
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