| Reviewed by Elliot V. Kotek (October 2007) Director: Ben Affleck
Starring: Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Amy Ryan, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman
Studio: Miramax Films BEN AFFLECK'S GONE, BABY, GONE - TENSE, TAUT, TOUGH Gone, Baby, Gone is the first foray into directing for the Oscar-winning screenwriter Ben Affleck. Staying out of the limelight following highly paparazzi'd romances has, no doubt, forced Affleck to accept introversion for a period, and it's been richly rewarding for audiences. His turn in Hollywoodland as TV Superman George Reeves drew acclaim and acceptance from Hollywood's insiders, and his directorial effort is sure to increase his standing within his community of peers. Put it this way: I've seen directors win Oscars for less impressive work than Affleck displays in Gone, Baby, Gone. Owing to the fact that Casey Affleck is this film's star, I'll refer to the brothers by their first names. Setting the film in the Afflecks' home town of Boston, Ben captures the real world poetically. His opening shots each mark a city stuck in that time when men wore suits despite abject poverty; the suits are gone but those faces remain. As the script states of the people who live here, "It's the things you don't choose that make you who you are," and those who struggle through the mire with the determination to make a difference need to "be wise as serpents, yet innocent as doves." That the film has the feel of Mystic River is not a bad thing for Ben - Gone Baby Gone has literary roots that lie with the novelist, Dennis Lehane, whose book bore fruit to Eastwood's masterpiece. Casey Affleck portrays a private detective hired (along with his assistant/girlfriend, played by M:I:3's Michelle Monaghan) to find a little girl who's been abducted from her addict mother (Amy Ryan). Ed Harris, as the cop on the case, and Morgan Freeman, as his superior, round out the above-the-liners, each of whom seem perfectly placed within this picture's puzzle. That Casey and Ryan stand out amongst this outstanding crowd is testament to their abilities, and also to Ben's directing, as he could have been excused for erring on the side of spotlighting big hitters Harris and Freeman. Ryan's portrayal of a bitch underneath whom lies a base of maternal potential prevents her character from coming across as unredeemably evil, and Casey's commitment reminds all that heroic action is often rewarded with cuts and consequences rather than riches. Some of the classier artistic expressions from the first-time director include an occasion that allows Casey to be seen in silhouette only (and also out of focus), marking Casey's character's fuzzy, competing senses of faith, purpose and self. The film's script runs the gamut from hilarious exchanges to somber subtleties - and, in parts, it somehow manages to explore race relations and sexual insensitivity as well as does Spike Lee. The film is graceful and gritty. And credit is definitely due to Ben's choice of cinematographer - John Toll, who picked up consecutive Oscars for Braveheart and Legends of the Fall, and was responsible also for lensing The Thin Red Line and The Last Samurai). The music, too (from Harry Gregson-Williams - Phone Booth, Spy Game, Enemy of the State, The Replacement Killers) is taut and provides that edge-of-seat tension which enables the story to hold and build, creeping toward conclusions but denying and defying Hollywood conventions. The film is tough. And it's terrific. Ben Affleck is a true storyteller who might just have found the perfect medium for his message. |
