Loyola Greyhound

Issue date: 10/23/07 Section: Arts & Society

Media Credit: MCT campus Gone Baby Gone is Ben Affleck's directorial debut. The film takes place in his native Boston.

There has to be something in the air in Boston because it seems that every brilliant movie uses Bean Town as its setting. Classic films coming from the area range from "Good Will Hunting" to "Mystic River," as well as last years Best Picture winner "The Departed." Now another surefire Oscar nominee comes in the form of Ben Affleck's directorial debut, "Gone Baby Gone."

The film, which is set in the tough Dorchester neighborhood, is a gritty story tracing a twisted investigation of a missing four-year-old girl. In addition to the widespread police search, the little girl's Aunt hires two local detectives, Patrick Kenzie (a breakout performance from Casey Affleck) and his partner/girlfriend Angie Genarro (Michelle Monaghan) who reluctantly takes the case out of pity for the grieving family. The pair works with Boston police detectives Remy Bressant (an equally outstanding Ed Harris) and Nick Poole (John Ashton) as well as the head of the missing children unit, Jack Doyle, played by the understated yet brilliant Morgan Freeman.

The case provides so many twists and turns that are perfectly executed with a mix of suspense, action, and emotion. The mother, Helene McCready (Amy Ryan), who is a troubled drug addict, leads the detectives down the path of dealers, child molesters, and other shady characters from the underbelly of society.

But as the investigation goes deeper and deeper towards finding the truth, it becomes apparent that some of the members of the police force are just as trustworthy as the criminals on the street.

The performances from the film are on another level than most of those we see today. Casey Affleck, who always plays the supporting character, proves that he is leading man material as the young, but street-smart, detective from the neighborhood.

Within the complex character of Patrick Kenzie, Affleck has to switch from jokes, to heartbreak, to rage, to calm as the story unfolds. At many points in the film he alone is placed up against some of the great actors of our time. In a pivotal point of the film, he proves his mettle as he gets into a verbal battle of wits with Morgan Freeman and holds more than his own. This scene is one of the best bits of acting (and dialogue) that I have ever witnessed, and I don't say that lightly.

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