browngeek

Its been a while since I wrote about a film. Not because I haven’t seen any for a long time. Its because there has not been once that has been worthwhile. Recently, I saw Gone Baby Gone. Its very unique and I had to write about it.

“Gone Baby Gone” is the maiden venture of Ben Affleck (of Bennifer fame) as a director. And I have to tell you he is good at it. GBG is about a private detective (Casey Affleck, brother of Ben) who help solve the case of a missing 4-year old girl. The story revolves around the detective’s relationship with his girlfriend, the missing girl’s mom and uncle, a police detective (Ed Harris) and the police chief (Morgan Freeman). It it set in the city of Boston where the Afflecks grew up. And that fact massively helps with the story telling. Being a “local”, Affleck simply knows what a neighbourhood looks like and how its people interact. Additionally, the cinematography (John Toll, Oscar-award winner for BraveHeart) fits so well into the neighbourhood that the film “just works”.

Example Scene: Tense situation in a bar. Its all dark inside. Casey Affleck starts to walk out of the bar, backwards, while pointing a gun at the bartender. He then opens the bar door with his back. Sunlight fills the screen - almost blinding, as Affleck turns around and walks into the street . A fantastic transition. All in one sequence.

There are many scenes like the above that keeps the film brilliant. Casey Affleck is not the best actor, but he is definitely a good fit here. Ed Harris shines as the police detective that hates pedophiles. Morgan Freeman plays his usual self (I do wish it had been Freeman narrating GBG instead of Casey Affleck’s sleepy voice).

After a couple of expected twists in the story, the final twist left me satisfied. In fact, I even found myself asking “What would I have done in that situation?”. Not many films make me ask that question.

GBG is a terrific film and I expect screenplay and cinematography nominations from the Academy.