Gone Baby Gone

The world is not a simple place. Sometimes there are no clear right paths or wrong ones. Instead, the threads of our lives intertwine and the sum of our choices form the skein of the world. There can be no escape; the choices have to be made, often poorly.

That, in a nutshell, was my take-away from Gone Baby Gone, the touching but ultimately flawed film based on the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane, and Ben Affleck's directorial debut. Not a unique message, not a unique story either, but it is a movie that is put together well, if not perfectly. It gets a rating of 3 on my 5 point scale.

The plot concerns a downscale Boston neighbourhood shaken by the kidnapping of a young girl, Amanda... Her mother Helene (Amy Ryan) is classic white trash, and on her trail are a private detective Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and his girlfriend/ partner Angie (Michelle Monaghan), a pair of jaded detectives from the Boston PD, Nick and Remy (John Ashton and Ed Harris) and their boss, Captain Doyle (Morgan Freeman).

How the investigation plays out and how the various players involved act, and then live with the consequences of their choices, is the bulk of the movie's content.

This can very much be described as a noir piece not unlike L.A. Confidential, given its expository, limited third-person perspective plot, the twists and turns, and the moral ambiguity. It has those memorable shades from Good Will Hunting, in how it lovingly yet unabashedly shows a darker, seedier side of Boston. But the movie it reminded me the most of was Clint Eastwood's Mystic River (perhaps because of the comparable tone and subject matter.

What works...

In terms of content, this movie does not disappoint. It puts a spotlight on how our society - we - treat our children. It is an exposition of all that is wrong with low-income, drug-ridden, inner city life in most American cities.

In the character of Helene, the ultimate bad mother, the movie is a heart-breaking tale of parenting done wrong. We've all seen characters like Helene, hopefully from far away, and you come to hate her with a passion while you still root for her child.

In the jaded, and righteously crooked character played by Ed Harris, the movie is a cautionary tale of how cynicism, when given power, can quickly turn to vigilantism.

It is an examination, at the very end, of the protagonist making a very difficult choice indeed - between seemingly correct ends achieved by illegal means, and sticking to the law, regardless of consequence. This was a question that affected me enough to cause a sleepless night and a hangover. I could not for the life of me say how I would've acted had I been in the same situation - I still can't - and that is a powerful experience to take away from a mere movie.

The final few scenes in the movie, that show the protagonist having to live with the consequences of his choice - and take responsibility for what has happened - are as heart-breaking as they are sobering.

The performances are top-notch - Freeman, Harris, and Affleck shine and deliver performances that will be well remembered. From the first two we have come to expect no less, but Casey Affleck is a wonderful surprise as he goes toe to toe with the veterans.

His Kenzie is as fragile as he is macho, as familiar with Boston as he is out of his depth on the case. Ultimately, he is a classic everyman hero - and the way he plays it, the description doesn't seem contradictory.

The style of direction is best described as lingering. You can tell that Affleck is in love with Boston in all its dubious glory, and paints a very realistic, fascinating picture of it.

What fails...

The pacing of the movie is badly off. About half-way through, it just completely slumps, the way a child crashes when coming off a sugar-rush. I found myself checking the watch and being surprised that it had been only an hour when the DVD jacket said the movie was two hours long...I thought it was over!

Then slowly, painfully, through one sub-plot too many, it picks itself up and draws you in again, to deliver the ultimate sucker punch at the end. But that is too late - or was for me - and the charm had worn off a bit. As for the 'twist at the end', it seemed a little contrived and pushing the bounds of credulity. If it hadn't been such a fine philosophical conundrum the protagonist faces, I would've written this movie off as hackneyed.

This is pretty surprising, considering that the director/ co-writer is the Oscar-winning co-writer of Good Will Hunting, but I got the feeling the movie ended up being over-contrived precisely because it was made with the Oscars in mind.

The Verdict

All things considered, this is a must-watch movie, but given the pacing issues and the contrived nature of the plot I really cannot rate it higher than a 3. Ah well... go rent it and you'll see what I mean.

Note to self: This review almost completes the list of the movies I wanted to watch and review from this year's Oscar flock - Atonement waits in the wings of the DVD queue...