Gone Baby Gone

There is a danger in anticipating a movie too much. The hype you've built up in yourself can cause you to find anything short of such expectations utter crap. I had such anticipation boiling over for the past couple of weeks awaiting Gone Baby Gone. The original story was written by Denis Lehane (Mystic River) and the film was directed by Ben Affleck (his first feature length film). When I was first directed toward the trailer months ago I was impressed (Trailer Guy) (ignore my own comment which I would retract if I could). Upon re-watching the trailer and reading about Affleck's process I was more and more intrigued.

So on a Friday afternoon, practically bursting in anticipation, like a kid on Christmas morning desperately wanting to open his presents, I rushed out to the theater for the first showing. I sat in the theater trying to not over-hype it, to relax and let this movie be what it was. Still every once and a while it is quite nice to have a cinematic experience such as I had. The theater was empty save for me and I just listened to some music on my ipod while I waited for the film to start.

Gone Baby Gone begins with the report of a young girl who has been abducted. A family member worried that the police may not be able to get the job done hires a private investigator to help "augment" the investigation. Casey Affleck plays Patrick Kenzie the investigator and he is joined by his girlfriend Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan). Kenzie is a local and therefore people will talk to him when they won't talk to the police.

I say begins because that little bit of information is only the barest of descriptions of what goes on in this movie and I won't be spoiling anything for anyone. Ben Affleck has a clear desire to show the viewer a different kind of Boston. One you don't see as often, dirtier, seedier with a worn down look and people running the gamut of despair and hope. We see closely tied block communities and hole in the wall bars populated by Massholes and unpleasant types. I can't honestly tell you if that is part of the real Boston but it feels real for the sake of the film and that is all that really matters.

Casey Affleck shines in this film. Dropping smart ass remarks when provoked but also inquisitive and relentless in seeking the answers. He has a personableness that makes certain characters open up to him and even a tender side. He holds his own against some of the best actors in the game from Ed Harris to Morgan Freeman. Both Harris and Freeman put in greatly ambiguous roles and even John Ashton is good.

There is a lot of moral ambiguity going on that you learn of by film's end and it is interesting to watch such as Harris and Affleck discussing what "right" is. And Harris has a great line where he may not be able to justify his actions as right but he certainly doesn't think that they are wrong. There several more of these kinds of debates all well done without a clear right or wrong.

Affleck has to make a decision late in the film, a decision that he knows is the right one deep down and I as the viewer knew was the right one and yet it roiled in my stomach and it made me uneasy but I would have felt cheated if he had made any other decision. And the final shot of the film just helps sum up that discomfort in a powerful way.

Stephen Holden recently said of Across the Universe, "I realized that falling in love with a movie is like falling in love with another person. Imperfections, however glaring, become endearing quirks once you’ve tumbled." I'm sure there were problems with the film and I just don't care because I was so taken in by the story and the characters. And maybe much like that anticipated Christmas gift which made me so happy after I received it in a few weeks or the next time I see it, I'll have lost interest in it (but I suspect that won't happen).

All I know is that after I saw the film I just wanted to enjoy a really good beer and think about the film alone without anyone asking me "What did you think, etc.". And that is exactly what I did. I went to my favorite bar, ordered my favorite beer and listened to my favorite music and just rolled the film over in my head and I liked it. It was one of those reminders of why I like movies so much. Others may disagree but you're wrong.