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Gone Baby Gone


Gone baby, gone
2008 Directed by : Ben Affleck


Set in a tough Boston neighbourhood, the film follows the case of a kidnapped child, it's subsequent search and the revelations that come to light.

Ok, firstly on the record, I'm not a fan of Ben Affleck, and if I'm being totally honest, I wasn't much of a fan of his brother until I saw The Assassignation of Jesse James, but I put my reservations to one side, it was easy as Ben doesn't act in the film.

After watching the film, my first reaction was that it wasn't a bad film by a first time director, it kept me involved throughout and most of the performances were fine.
The other main observation that struck me is that Affleck has tried to copy Mystic River in almost every aspect, performance, tone, cinematography etc.
Truthfully, Mystic River is a superior film, but considering that Clint Eastwood has some 30 odd years of experience over Affleck, that's hardly surprising.

For me, it's a nearly movie, it's decent enough, but just lacks that little je ne sais quoi ( oooh Darth bursting out the French! )
Casey Affleck does ok, Michelle Monaghan and Morgan Freeman aren't really given enough to get their teeth into, but I found Ed Harris' performance a little too forced for my liking.
The twist is easy enough to get, but all being said, I've watched far worse from more experienced directors.


Rating 3/5