Gone Baby Gone

Yanked from UK cinema screens shortly it was due to be released, this is the Oscar nominated directorial debut from Ben Affleck, who adapted this story of child kidnapping from a novel by Dennis Lehane. The decision to remove it from UK screens was probably sensible given some eerie similarities between the film and the over-publicised Madeleine McCann story, the most startling being the resemblence that the young girl and focus of the film has to McCann. It fared pretty well on its US release without exctly setting the box office alight. Critical reception was positive with Affleck earning numerous citations for most promising newcomer, as well as a whole heap of critics awards for supporting actress Amy Ryan, who will find out next week whether or not she can add an Oscar to the awars she's received for her performance here.

The star of Gone Baby Gone is Ben's brother Casey who will surely always look back on 2007 as a banner year. His immense turn in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford quite rightly earned him an Oscar nomination and for my money should earn him the win. He dominated the screen at every opportunity, comprehensively out-acting far more seasoned co-stars, and this in a film that doesn't feature a single false note let alone a poor performance. His effort in his brother's film is a little after the Lord Mayor's Show yet he's just as convicing here. Affleck is a private investigator who, along with his girlfriend and partner (Michelle Monaghan), is asked by the girl's uncle to investigate the disappearance. Working alongside a couple of cops (Ed Harris and John Ashton) they start unravelling a mystery that leads them on a trail to the missing girl and, although I don't think all of the plot twists are particular convincing (or indeed surprising), I'll not spoil them here by revealing any more.

The hook of this particular film is that the girl's mother is very obviously unfit to be a mum. Questions are soon raised over whther or not she deserves to have the child back, and such questions lead into the thought provoking moral conundrum that dominates the final act of the film. Gone Baby Gone asks some intelligent questions and offers no answers although Affleck certainly hints at his own feelings in the closing shot. If the ethical questiosn the film raises are its strong suit - the plot itself is perhaps its weakest. Once the mystery is ultimately revealed it doesn't really hold up to much scrutiny, instead playing more like a plot that the author felt needed am additional twist or two rather than one that demanded a sense of realism. A scene atop a quarry makes little sense either at the time or in flash back. The motivation of some of the characters also seems questionable.

So flawed it may be, but there's no denying that Affleck shows promise here as screenwriter and director. This is the first script he's penned since his Oscar winning collaboration with Matt Damon and the first time he's taken the reins behind the camera. He handles it nicely, not falling into the trap of trying to differentiate his work with any flashy quirks or novel camera angels that are sometimes seen by a first-time director. It's a very solid effort, which although hardly sounds inspiring, befits the material well. Whilst Gone Baby Gone wont be in my mind for awards consideration, it has enough good things going for it to recommend as a DVD rental next time you find yourself at a loose end.

B-