Gone Baby Gone

Surprisingly very good! Have to share with you that I do not enjoy Ben Affleck performances and after seeing this movie I think he should stop acting, he is a much better screenplay writer (remember that he already has an Oscar for screenplay writing?) and an amazing director. His directorial debut is a very good surprise and a major success for his career. Hope he does not go back to acting and does many, many more movies like this.

Based on same title novel by Dennis Lehane (who also wrote Mystic River) and with a screenplay co-written by Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard, the movie tells about the disappearance of a 4-years-old girl. But the story is much more about morals and people than about the disappearance and has so many unexpected twists that there is one moment when you think that the movie has reached the end and no, there is one more unexpected twist!

Besides the great story and the great directorial eye the movie has an excellent cast that delivers superb performances. Think that the most believable and engaging –even when is not likable- performance is the child mother, Helene McCready played by Amy Ryan. She’s extremely good as the most terrible kind of a mother and she already has won many accolades, honors and awards for this role that definitively will explode her career.

Have to say that I enjoyed a lot Casey Affleck performance as a stoic, persistent, morally troubled, deadpan private detective that does rely on people –against being a loner as always- to do his work and to overcome his personal drama. Then we have here amazing as always –I’m a fan- Ed Harris as police detective Remy Bressant and always with very good performances Morgan Freeman as Captain Jack Doyle.

To complement the cast in supporting roles we have Amy Madigan (real life Ed Harris wife) and beautiful Michelle Monaghan, both have small but crucial roles with good performances.

The movie is being considered as one of the years best in American cinema and have to say that I tend to agree, as I find it a very good character driven and smart movie, that touches a common story and turns it into a very engaging human behavior study.

On the tech side, the movie has nice cinematography with visuals that complement the story developing, there are no outstanding visuals, but I feel that cinematography has a secondary or complementary role and accomplishes its role brilliantly.

The movie called my attention because it started to get nominations and awards in American awards and I’m so glad that this year with the help of this blog I’m able to find very good American movies. Browse the blog to see some of the many nominations and awards that the movie, Ben Affleck and the actors are getting.

The movie is a drama more than any other genre and I strongly recommend it to those that are avid to find extremely good American films.

Enjoy!!!