Review of Gone Baby Gone (2007) by Andrew C — 23 Jan 2012

This rating is more in the 3.8/3.9 range. I wanted to give it a full 4 but I just could not, for a few reasons. One being the very up and down performance of Casey Affleck. the way he delivered his lines was sometimes ok and sometimes bad. Michelle Monaghan really did not do anything in this film and had very few lines that the viewer does not learn much about her. What saves this film is the solid writing and the great performances by Amy Ryan and Ed Harris. Morgan Freeman is in this film but for only brief moments.

What I find interesting about Affleck's performance is while it might be subpar in this film he would be nominated for an academy award for Best Supporting Actor in another film he was in the same year. So I will not categorize him as a bad actor he just had a subpar performance. Amy Ryan and Ed Harris play their characters very well and are the acting highlights for me. I feel Ed Harris is a very underrated actor who does not get enough recognition for his work.

The plot is thick with drama throughout the entire film and there is little to no light moments, which makes sense because it is a film about a child being kidnapped. There are many plot twists all are revealed in the end but you can tell while watching the film that somethings are not quite right and you are just waiting for the truth to be revealed. Affleck's decision at the end strikes up the conversation about what is right and what is best and what we should choose? I like this in that the viewer must make their own decision about the end and not have it given to them. I must worn people that there some very graphic scenes that some people may not be be to handle. But, with all the negative I have said I still enjoyed the film.