Gone Baby Gone (2007)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Ben Affleck

Writers (WGA):

Ben Affleck (screenplay) &
Aaron Stockard (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

19 October 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

Everyone Wants The Truth... Until They Find It.

Plot:

Two Boston area detectives investigate a little girl's kidnapping, which ultimately turns into a crisis both professionally and personally. Based on the Dennis Lehane novel.

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Investigation | Drug Dealer | Little Girl | Kidnapping

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 19 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Casey Affleck	...	Patrick Kenzie
Michelle Monaghan	...	Angie Gennaro
Morgan Freeman	...	Jack Doyle
Ed Harris	...	Remy Bressant
John Ashton	...	Nick Poole
Amy Ryan	...	Helene McCready
Amy Madigan	...	Bea McCready
Titus Welliver	...	Lionel McCready
Michael K. Williams	...	Devin (as Michael Kenneth Williams)
Edi Gathegi	...	Cheese
Mark Margolis	...	Leon Trett
Madeline O'Brien	...	Amanda McCready
Slaine	...	Bubba
Trudi Goodman	...	Roberta Trett
Matthew Maher	...	Corwin Earle

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, drug content and pervasive language.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Portugal:M/16 | Australia:MA | UK:15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | South Africa:16LV | USA:R (certificate #43431) | Taiwan:R-18 | Germany:16 | Argentina:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Singapore:M18 (edited version) | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Singapore:R21 | France:-12 | Finland:K-15 | Sweden:15 | Norway:15 | Italy:VM14 | Brazil:16 | Netherlands:16 | Israel:16 | Malaysia:18PL | Ireland:16 | New Zealand:R16 | South Korea:18 | Ireland:15 (video rating) | Ireland:15 (DVD rating) | Spain:18 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

LivePlanet

Trivia:

Jill Quigg was discovered when the production's barricades in the streets of Boston prevented her from picking up her son from school. Ben Affleck was so impressed by her loud rants against the film crew that he asked her to read for the movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Remy and Patrick are drinking rum out of a bottle, Remy screws the lid back on the bottle multiple times, but we never see or hear him remove the lid.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Patrick Kenzie: I always believed it was the things you don't choose that makes you who you are. Your city, your neighborhood, your family. People here take pride in these things, like it was something they'd accomplished. The bodies around their souls, the cities wrapped around those...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Gone Maggie Gone (#20.13)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Through the Dark

Into the depths

It's become a hobby of mine this past year to watch IMDb's top 250, AFI's top 100 and all Oscar winning (and most nominated) films. I've seen over 100 films in just the past year alone, but I am struggling to think of a film that I enjoyed more.

The performances are outstanding. All of the characters- including the city itself - are filled with depth and ambiguity. Like a previous post mentioned, Amy Ryan did a phenomenal job as Helene, not only do I know many people like her, I'm related to some. I didn't even recognize her from her wonderful performance in the Wire.

The questions that this movie asks as it unfolds do not get answered in by the closing credits, and they still aren't answered as I type. Who was right? Is there a right answer? Morgan Freeman- the greatest actor alive- and Ed Harris give standard upper echelon performances. But I was surprised by Michelle Monaghan and especially Casey Affleck. He didn't flinch, and he didn't compromise his ideals, but in the end compromised nonetheless. I hope he gets a nomination.

Ben Affleck lost my favor somewhere around the time he began to cry in Armageddon, and I haven't taken him seriously since. But his achievement here, the pace, the mood, the spot on capturing of the desolate neighborhood, and the overall story leads me to anxiously await his next directorial effort.

The best film I've seen in years.