Review of Gone Baby Gone (2007) by Cameron J — 04 Apr 2014

Perk up, folks, because it's yet another upbeat drama based on a book by the writer of "Mystic River", Dennis Lehane, who really seems to have some kind of a morbid obsession with crimes on kids. I, as an Alabamian, would like to say that this film's title makes me think, "My baby's gone with the wind", but I can't fight the disco fever, so, "I heard somebody say, 'Gone, baby, gone'; Boston inferno!" Yeah, folks, I hate to tell you this, but there is no inferno going on in Boston at the moment, although that might only seem unfortunate after you see this film. Okay, maybe this film doesn't paint the darkest picture of Boston, but it seems about right that Ben Affleck would make this his directorial debut, because it's about as negative about Boston as Affleck. Man, Affleck has a problem with his roots, but I'd imagine his younger brother Casey doesn't have too big of a problem with the problems in Boston, just as long as it provides subject matter which provides dramatically promising work... or any kind of work. Yeah, Ben, you can gripe all you want about the questionability of some of your more recent filmography entrees, but Casey just couldn't catch a break up until 2007, and now he really can't get gone, baby, gone. Hey, it's okay, because the boy suddenly developed a lot of taste, or at least Ben redeveloped his own tastes, because this film is, well, pretty strong, despite the flaws.

At least for a while, it seems as though certain supporting players intrigue more than the leads, and the likely reason behind that might simply be the leads' being given only so much meat immediate development, much like certain elements of the plot itself that may gradually tighten its grip on you, but is difficult to get invested in right away, due to developmental shortcomings. The film stands to commit a little more attention to fleshing out aspects that are ultimately still pretty well-developed, yet still comes out following an almost two-hour runtime that it drags to with the help of, not so much filler, but too much material that, before too long, begins to feel repetitious, retarding a sense of momentum that Ben Affleck's direction exacerbates through dry spells. Affleck's steady hand as storytelling carries the final product a pretty considerable distance on the whole, but when his grip loosens, the film all but goes limp, and as irony would have it, once grip tightens too much, the drama gets carried away. By that, I don't necessarily mean that Affleck plagues this drama with some glaring sentimental spots or glaring subtlety issues, as Affleck's surprisingly effective first time up to bat as a director goes a long way, yet, but there are overblown moments in dramatic style that really, of all things, convolute the focus of the film, bloating the bite of certain touches to this layered drama, until eventual focal shifts truly jar in their breaking a sense of climax that forces the film to take time to build intensity back up, yet with not enough time before yet another focal inconsistency firmly kicks in. There's something understandably overambitious about Affleck's somewhat hammy take on layered material, yet there is a certain laziness to Affleck's efforts, - at least as a screenwriter joined by Aaron Stockard - and it's primarily found within conventions, because even though this take on worthy subject matter is particularly inspired, it still hard to not be distanced by a sense of predictability that limits a sense of importance that, quite frankly, was always to be kind of limited. The project is taken on with so much inspiration that all of the consequential shortcomings are overcome enough for the final product to, on the whole, catch glimpses of excellence, but I don't know if this project could ever go that much further, as it's narrative has only so much importance to its scope, and as momentum goes further challenged by flawed pacing and familiarity, the drama finds difficulty in keeping up its strength. Of course, at the end of the end of the day, the film stands as rewarding at its very worst, and pretty solid more often than not, and that's impressive, given the shortcomings, both consequential and natural, however limited the latter may be.

A study on troubled inner city environments, investigations into terrible crimes, and doing questionable moral deeds for what's best, this film's subject matter might be a little too light in scale to be all that enthralling the further you go into the narrative concept, but it remains pretty rich in its layers and dramatic depth, establishing a worthy portrait of justice that in turn establishes an immediate degree of intrigue in concept. This intrigue is expanded upon by the duo of Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard, whose script is unevenly structured and even narratively formulaic, but solid on the whole, with sharp dialogue and cleverly intricate plotting that immerse you in a sense of intelligent mystery, while characterization highlights draw you into the drama's heart. When characterization is actually realized, rather than thinned down by the aforementioned developmental issues, each member of a sizable character roster that defines this very human drama is distinguished as thematically significant, effective and memorable by his or her own, and all around instrumental in engagement value, despite the repetitious excessiveness in material. Affleck's and Stockard's script draws worthy characters, but the human heart of this drama is truly brought to life by the characters' portrayers, most every one of whom delivers, even in a supporting cast which boasts such standouts as the emotionally charged Amy Madigan and Titus Welliver as a troubled couple particularly fearing the fate of a missing child, the transformative Amy Ryan as a doper who begins to question the importance of her addictions in comparison to her child, as well as the charismatic Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman as flawed men of justice. As for the leads, despite their roles' expository shortcomings, their portrayals also drive the drama, with the lovely Michelle Monaghan capturing the anxiety of an investigator whose personal life goes shaken up during particularly disturbing cases, while Casey Affleck carries a graceful subtlety to his dramatic touches that don't exactly stand out, but certainly endear, running much blood through the veins of this human drama almost as much as a certain other driving performance by a certain other member of the Affleck clan. Ben Affleck's debut directorial performance is ambitious, to the point of getting carried away with certain dramatic contributions, but at the same time, it is what truly secures the film's strength, playing with gritty visuals and Harry Gregson-Williams' haunting score, if not quietly realized thoughtfulness in a fashion that is ingeniously sharp, as well as generalized, so that the tension cuts deep and the resonance moves as the thriller draws deeper and deeper into its depths. As I said earlier, while the film is never less than rewarding, it grows stronger and stronger as it progresses, ultimately coming down to a particularly outstanding final act whose power was not likely to grace the body of this often light-scale thriller, but is caught in enough glimpses to make a final product that at least comes close to outstanding, which is close enough to engross through and through.

In conclusion, when the film doesn't feel undercooked, it feels repetitious, if not a smidge bland in its dragging, as well as tonally overblown at times, conventional and, well, limited in weight, thus holding the final product back from outstanding, but by only a hair, for there is enough meat to a worthy story concept, clever intricacy to the scripted plotting and characterization, power to most every performance, and piercing tension and resonance to Ben Affleck's revelatory directorial performance to make "Gone Baby Gone" an enthralling and provocative dramatic thriller.

3.25/5 - Strong.