Gone Baby, Gone

***1/2

10/23/07
by Scott Cupper

Patrick Kenzie……………….Casey Affleck
Angie Gennaro………………Michelle Monaghan
Lionel McCready…………….Titus Welliver
Beatrice McCready…………..Amy Madigan
Helene McCready…………….Amy Ryan
Jack Doyle……………………Morgan Freeman
Remy Bressant……………….Ed Harris
John Ashton…………………..Nick Poole

Directed by Ben Affleck
Screenplay by Ben Affleck & Aaron Stockard
Based on the novel by Denis Lehane

Rated R
Runtime: 1 hr 54 min

Gone Baby, Gone opens with a masterful sequence. Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) narrates as we watch slow-motion shots of a poor neighborhood in Boston. Not a few movies have begun this way, but the interplay between these pieces quickly makes something that seems rote, original. They depend on each other for their depth, at times complimenting one another, at other times, commenting on the other. It is the cinematic equivalent of a fugue. All the while, it is gradually focusing us, zooming in from the streets of Boston to the front porch of the home of a 4-year-old girl, Amanda, who is missing.

From here, we enter Patrick’s home whom we learn from his narration is a missing persons investigator. Patrick is in the kitchen with his partner Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) who prepares breakfast, the TV turned to the news coverage of the missing girl. A nice little commentary about the saturation of the media is made here. We cut from this scene to more news coverage. When we cut back to Patrick and Angie, they’re still watching, but they’re in bed, ready to turn in.

The next morning they are awoken by someone pounding on their door. It is Lionel (Titus Welliver) and Beatrice McCready (Amy Madigan), the uncle and aunt of Amanda. They know Patrick finds people and they’d like to hire him. Patrick is willing and wants to meet with the mother, but Angie, also his business partner, is reticent. He promises that if they meet the mother and she still feels this way, he’ll decline.

The mother, Helene McCready, is belligerent and uncooperative. She’s played by Amy Ryan whom you may have seen on The Wire. Nothing she did on that show can prepare you for the performance she gives here. Angie’s still not sure about taking the case until Beatrice shows her a picture of Amanda. I liked that Angie's care is never explained. She and Patrick don’t have any children, but it’s never clear whether this is by choice or not.

The rest of the movie is Patrick and Angie trudging through every turn this case takes. The always-reliable Morgan Freeman is policeman Jack Doyle who specializes in missing child cases. He assigns Remy Bressant (Ed Harris) and John Ashton (Nick Poole) to assist them.

The movie is not short on fine performances. I’ve already mentioned Amy Ryan, and Ed Harris is as good as always. I missed The Assassination of Jesse James…in the theaters, so I was anxious to see Casey’s performance here. I’ve enjoyed watching him in his smaller roles. His characters are always vibrant, creating something where a lesser actor couldn’t. He is very good here.

I’ve always thought Ben Affleck was a talented actor. Yes, he’s been adequate in some very bad movies, but he’s never been bad in a very good movie and that is an important distinction. I was excited to see him step behind the camera and he proves to be a capable director. Boston comes alive as it hasn’t even in movies as good Good Will Hunting and Mystic River. He handles the layered plot well, giving it the time it needs to develop. There are a few times where he plays up drama, but for the most part, it’s a sure hand that guides this film.

This assurance is particularly evident in a scene where Angie makes an impulsive decision. Where other filmmakers would linger on her face in the moments before she acts, Ben Affleck barrels right into it, trusting that her character has been established. It is the right choice. I hope he makes many more of them.