Review of Gone Baby Gone (2007) by Filipeneto — 27 May 2021

This pleasant mystery film, Ben Affleck's debut as director, revolves around a couple of young private detectives who, hired to investigate an apparent kidnapping by the aunt of the child missing. In addition to the natural difficulties of the case, they will have to prevent the antipathy of the police forces, who are not willing to collaborate, although they have to do so.

The film is excellent and really worth it, both for the story and the good performance of the cast. There is no doubt that Affleck deserves congratulations on his work. The story was very well written, it has tension and suspense in the right measure and tries to be realistic and escape a little from the more conventional ways and options. Although the mystery is well covered and the film has several twists and turns, the plot reveals clues about the truth, and if the audience is attentive they will have what they need for their own investigation. The construction of the characters, and their evolution throughout the film, is another element that I feel obliged to highlight: throughout the film, the audience is confronted with repellent characters that gradually undergo an authentic catharsis. And we were torn between feelings of repulse, commiseration, aversion and sympathy for those characters.

The cast has several notable names. Casey Affleck takes on one of the main roles and supports the older brother's project by working hard and giving us an excellent interpretation. It was truly impressive to see how the actor was able to embody the character's psychological and mental shifts. Beside him is an excellent Michelle Monaghan. The script gives her a lot of material to work with and allows the actress to carry out a coherent and elegant development of the character, leaving the gender clichés and being much more than a beautiful hero's girlfriend. Ed Harris also deserves a note of praise. Used to playing tough characters, he showed versatility in giving a soul and a dose of sensitivity to the frowning policeman who had to play. Amy Ryan has, perhaps, one of the most complicated works in the film, since her character is the most controversial here, but she knew how to extricate herself and shine. Morgan Freeman is in a much more discreet role, but he plays it with all his spirit and gives us some great moments.

Technically, the film has excellent production values and looks more expensive than it may have been. Affleck put a lot of effort into making his film authentic, and it paid off. Of course, this effort forced him to use a very crude language, but I accepted that quite well. Cinematography is good and the filming work is exquisite, with remarkable limpidity and color. The use of light and shade is also very good. The choice of filming locations (mostly Boston suburban neighborhoods) is consistent with the story and exudes authenticity, as well as all sets and costumes. The soundtrack is not exceptional, but the film makes up for it with good sound and visual effects.