Gone Baby Gone
|
List Price: Our Price: $5.34 You Save: $9.65 (64%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $1.27 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Gone Baby Gone
Movie Review: ...but the Afflecks are here!
Summary: 5 Stars
If there is any doubt about Ben Affleck's talent or ability, his film, "Gone Baby Gone" erases that doubt. In his directorial debut, he shows he still has the stuff we first saw in his joint work with Matt Damon in their Academy Award winning "Good Will Hunting."
Now add Casey Affleck to this list of talented guys from Boston, for he shines in this, his brother's loose adaptation of Dennis Lehane's book of the same title.
The basic premise: A young girl is taken from her mother, people want to exchange the young girl for money, money gets shuffled around, and only a few really know what's going on. You, viewer, are not the privileged few. You must hang with Casey Affleck's private detective, first-person narrative to learn anything. This performance, although much lower-keyed and diametrically opposite, is as perfectly rendered as the role of serial killer he plays in the recently-released The Killer Inside Me. The two years between roles wrought subtle, yet incredible changes in Affleck's appearance. In "Baby" he had a softer look, a much gentler nature that reeks of sincerity. In "Killer" he looks taller, more wired, and, although affable, like a conductor coil about to be fired. The biggest difference, however, is that his "Baby" character follows not only the law, but the letter of the law! No moral dilemmas with his mindset. In "Killer" Affleck's character does what he wants. He is his own moral law. What the two roles do have in common is the narrative line. However, to hear a killer devoid of a moral compass wax on is quite different from hearing the voice of a person committed to truth, justice, and the American Way. In fact, it's this tight connection to Right that determines the painful and just or unjust ending to "Baby."
A fine cast of actors fleshes out this convoluted, morally twisted story: Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, Michelle Monaghan, each contributing or part of the dilemma at movie's end.
In fact, this movie raises as much controversy in its conclusion as did The Deep End of the Ocean. What IS the right thing to do? I do not want to say anything more except: Let the story lead where the story leads.
Movie Review: Ben Affleck creates the new standard for Boston-based movies
Summary: 5 Stars
As a native Bostonian, albeit one who moved out of the area 21 years ago, I watch all these Boston-based adaptations to see how well the filmmakers get the essence of the place. Even in the best ones, there's always one thing to distract and annoy. In the Damon/Affleck breakthrough 'Good Will Hunting,' there was Robin Williams' awful accent (to think he won a Oscar for that). In the otherwise excellent 'Mystic River,' there was Laura Linney's beyond-bad (reaching into unintentional comedy) 'effort.'
Well, you can rip up the record books, because Ben Affleck has conceived and directed what will forever be the unimpeachable standard of Boston-based films. 'Gone Baby Gone' is terrific in every imaginable way - twisty but tight storytelling, believable characters positively steeped in blue-collar Boston street culture, and an ending that will keep you talking and debating long after the lights come up.
It's incredible that this is Affleck's first shot at directing. I really thought this guy had completely lost his way. It had to be getting to him, watching Matt Damon make these series of great career choices while he Gigli-ed and Bennifer-ed his way into something of a national punchline. But marrying Jennifer Garner and 'Gone Baby Gone' count as back-to-back home runs.
There's another great performance by Ed Harris (what's up with the hairpiece though - it wasn't required & really distracts). Amy Ryan should get an Oscar nomination - hard to believe she's from Queens, not Dorchester. Casey Affleck will turn out to be a better actor than his brother - credit Ben for recognizing that and giving Casey the role. This isn't nepotism. Casey brings an understated, steely confidence to the role that becomes more believable as the film goes on.
Okay, this review isn't complete without singling out the most amazing performance: Jill Quigg is a Boston resident who talked her way into a role (Ben Affleck had been looking for locals to inflect the movie with rich Boston character). In a small role, she plays Helene's best friend, Dottie. I can't do her performance justice here. It's jawdroppingly good.
Various professional reviews about the movie mention that Amy Ryan had a tape of Quigg on her iPod & played it over and over to get the essence of her character, Helene. It worked.
Movie Review: How long am I going to be talking about this one....
Summary: 5 Stars
When a young Boston girl, Amanda McCready, is kidnapped, PI's Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) are called in by the child's aunt to investigate sources in the neighborhood that won't talk to the police.
They're reluctant to take the case. Gennaro doesn't think it will end well--as Kenzie comments in the opening narrative, "we handle cases for people who live on the edge--and fall through the cracks."
As they dig into the case, they realize Helene McCready, Amanda's mom, isn't precisely Mother of the Year material. Amanda is considered the mascot at Helene's favorite bar--but she only goes in there in the daytime because it's far too violent after dark. Helene is a drug user and occasionally acts as a mule for one of the local dealers. Little Amanda was probably stolen because Helene and her no-account boyfriend ripped off the local drug dealer.
Enter Detective Remy Bressant (Ed Harris) and his partner, Nick Poole (John Ashton). They're assigned to help Kenzie and Gennaro by Captain Jack Doyle (Morgan Freeman). When Bressant learns of the drug deal gone bad, he and Kenzie team up to set things right believing that if they paid back the drug dealer that he'd return little Amanda to her family.
The switch goes awry and Kenzie and Gennaro realize they've been had. Now they stand on opposite sides of a moral issue and the question posed to them threatens their future together and their individual peace of mind.
Ben Affleck did an amazing job directing this thriller-morality play by Dennis Lehane. For the most part, he was spot on with his timing. Standouts were younger brother Casey as Kenzie and of course Ed Harris as Bressart (in a reprise of his true believer type role in "The Rock") and Morgan Freeman as Doyle. I genuinely believe at least two of the three of these actors should be nominated for an Academy Award for their performances.
"Gone" was a hard film to watch and it's one that will have you debating the merits of the decision with your family and friends for days to come. That's the true mark of a really good film--how well it stays with you. This one's a must for collectors of strong mysteries.
Movie Review: Thrilling and unforgettable...
Summary: 5 Stars
I'll admit after seeing this film in theaters I was at once entertained but unsatisfied with the ending. I'm sure a lot of people felt the same way, but after thinking about it I became more and more convinced that it's the only way this film could end. I think that's why I like Gone Baby Gone so much, it makes you think about it's message and allows you to draw your own conclusions.
Gone Baby Gone is an adaption of Dennis Lehanne's novel about a missing girl in Boston, MA and the effects this has on everyone involved with the case, most notably Patrick Mckenzie a young private detective who's been hired by the girl's aunt. Patrick meets the mother who comes off as a dead beat and almost seems oblivious to the tragedy around her. Patrick and his girlfriend/partner Angie team up with two police detectives and through most of the film we follow their investigation through the streets of Boston finding out not only about the little girl and her mother, but the influence this city has had on all of the characters. While a lot of the movie plays out in a usual crime/detective fashion (with, I'll admit some obscure revelations and red-herrings) it's when all of these points come together at the end and Patrick is forced to make a very hard but important decision that gives the film it's impact. You don't have to agree with his decision but very rarely has a movie actually made me think about an ending and what I want to take away from it.
The cast of Gone Baby Gone is pitch-perfect. Amy Ryan got a lot of well deserved recognition for her role as the missing girl's mother, but it's Casey Affleck as Patrick who holds the most attention and creates an unforgettable character.
Gone Baby Gone was Ben Affleck's first film as director and co-writer and he uses terrific Boston settings for his locations that give Gone Baby Gone an authentic air. His action scenes, while sparse are very exciting and very engagingly filmed.
Gone Baby Gone is easily one of my favorite movies and one of the rare films that actually makes you THINK about what it's trying to say. As I said you might not agree with it's message but you'll be hooked through the entire film. This is must-see viewing!
Movie Review: Watch it with a group...and then argue
Summary: 5 Stars
If not found on the first day, only ten percent of missing children stories end happily. "Gone Baby Gone" starts on day three. A four year old girl is missing, and her aunt reaches out to novice Detective Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) to find the little girl. In a meager Boston neighborhood where people don't talk to the cops, Kenzie knows the drug dealers, barflies and other seedier residents of the community that live behind a wall the police can't penetrate. People talk to him, and the more he learns about the devastated mother, the more complicated the story becomes.
Enough about the plot, because it twists and turns to a conclusion about which viewers should know little. "Gone Baby Gone" is a plot-based film, a neo-noir mystery where each answer comes with two new questions. Several times the film seems ready to close its doors, only to open a darker, uglier room and lead us to it.
My greatest praise for first time director Ben Affleck concerns his casting, highlighted by Amy Ryan who seems destined to receive an Oscar nomination for her role as the worst mother seen since Million Dollar Baby. It's no coincidence that an Eastwood movie gets a mention here, as his recent films ripple throughout "Gone Baby Gone". The texture and sense of community reflect "Mystic River" (both novels were penned by Dennis Lehane), while the conflicted dilemma facing Patrick Kenzie plays out like the euthanasia question from Million Dollar Baby.
Not since Eastwood's boxing picture has such a morally ambiguous story unfolded on screen, where questions of "right" and "wrong" are muddied by life, which rarely plays along on ethical issues. The biggest shock for me in the film is that Ben Affleck (whose reputation is that of a New England liberal) points a finger directly at the drug culture, irresponsible parenting and sexual predators for much of the pain and suffering in this country. There's no mention of the war or corrupt businesses or climate change; rather, Affleck holds a mirror up to the Jerry Springer underbelly of America...and shows something very ugly.