Poll Position: Gone Baby Gone

Last week’s detective themed poll landed us with a tie. So Jim and I decided to split up the movies and do ‘em both on the same day. I looked at “Gone Baby Gone” whereas Jim saw “Manhunter”. The reason I picked Gone Baby Gone had to do with it being Ben Affleck’s first movie, based on a great novel (from what I heard) and it takes place in Boston (can’t get enough of that Boston accent). But enough about why I choose the movie, after the jump I share what I thought of the movie.

The movie starts off with 4 year old Amanda McCready missing from her home. With the police on full force trying to track down her where about, Amanda’s aunt takes it upon herself to hire a couple of detectives. Even though both Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) express that they usually only deal with folks running away from their unpaid loans. And even though Angie hesitates a bit, Patrick takes a moral stance and agrees to help them out. But little do they know what is in store for them, but they know the neighbourhood like the back of their hands so it can be done.

Patrick and Angie

Just as the movie started to play, what I noticed was that it was really well polished. I mean this movie is amazingly shot, edited and directed. It also captures this nuance that really sets the tone for the movie. There is no formal introduction to the characters, but the build-up of the scenario is well created.

But what really drives this movie home is the plot development. The movie has so many twists and turns I never actually knew who the kidnapper was. But they weren’t cheesy “The Village” twists, they were rather clever and really had you on your toes. For a moment, it felt like the bad guy was figured out early in the movie, and I thought this was just going to me a cop movie from here on out. And even though I doubted myself because it was too early in the movie for them to climax, I still really wanted to believe the first suspect was the killer. And this repeats at least 2 more times in the movie ‘till you find out who it actually was. Well played Ben Affleck, well played.

Amanda's mom is a coke head, can she really be trusted?

I also admired the acting in this movie; I find that most of the cast sold their roles appropriately. Even though I really couldn’t believe Casey acting like a tough guy, and he really can’t hold a gun to look fearsome. Whenever he started to act like the macho man, he fell flat on his face. But when he isn’t acting like a tough guy, he plays a great detective. Morgan Freeman is the officer in charge for search, but he is only in it for a few scenes.

Another neat feeling I got from this movie was the ending. After everything is explained and you were in the loop with Patrick, you are left with a decision at the end of the movie. As if Patrick did the right thing, and there is no clear ‘right’ answer. And I think this is what it really makes a good movie, a exceptional one. When you are left there at the end credits recapping all of the protaginst’s decision and wondering “What’s the right answer?” I had a very similar feeling after watching Inception.

With all that in mind, I really liked the movie. I would like to thank the folks who voted for it, ‘cause it would have easily passed by me. It was a great movie supported by a wonderful cast enhancing this thrilling story. If you like movies that get you thinking and guessing, you should definitely check this out.