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Gone Baby Gone
Reviewed by Theo Michelfeld
Posted: October 23, 2007

It’s been four years since Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River walloped the silver screen with its vivid Boston locations, and its vision of recurring tragedy tucked away there. For some literal-minded viewers, the film’s central and nearly preposterous coincidence demanded too much suspension of disbelief. For others, the plot’s self-conscious cartwheel was forgivable for helping to serve an overall devastating storytelling purpose. I find myself decidedly ambivalent on the subject, but I would say the film’s final shot—a parade of innocent children flanked by various guilt-dodging adult characters—makes it clear the story is an allegory, and deserving of poetic license. Call it a satisfying end to a sometimes bumpy ride.

Likewise, the new film Gone Baby Gone. This movie will draw inevitable comparisons to Mystic River, notably because both films are based on books by the same author, both take on the subject of child abuse, and both draw upon the power of those singularly evocative Boston neighborhoods. Furthermore, both films could be called morality plays, more so than tales we are meant to believe. The plot of Gone Baby Gone, for instance, is about as stable as a tower of Jenga blocks. But from a certain perspective, it hardly matters. The philosophical showdown at film’s end ties all that precedes it into a brilliant conundrum. And the coda will likely twist the viewer’s head, and heart, one more very significant notch inside out.

The story is a grim one. A four-year-old girl is abducted from her home. The girl’s coke-addicted, neglectful mother is more-or-less indifferent, but the aunt hires a private investigator with neighborhood connections to help the police with their search. The P.I. is not without talent, but he’s young, and he’s accustomed to tracking down only the voluntarily missing. This case draws him quickly in over his head, until he is friendless, and fighting for an outcome he only barely believes in.

A bit unfortunately, the film stars Casey Affleck, who has “supporting actor” written all over him, and wouldn’t seem the right choice to carry even a trifling film, much less one about child abduction and murder. To be fair, he almost nails this part. Casey has an inexplicably mesmerizing presence, and his Boston background allows him to act naturally in this particular picture. The performance is rather like that of an average quarterback whose primary objective is to not lose the game. What’s missing, though, is any sense of madness; Casey plays the part too straight. His character turns out to possess a seemingly magical grab-bag of moral, physical, social, and psychological resources, and people that shiny tend to also be a little nutty, don’t they? This performance needed a little less Jimmy Stewart and little more Christian Slater.

Meanwhile, the director of Gone Baby Gone is none other than Casey Affleck’s big brother Ben, which puts me in mind of one more comparison with Mystic River: Each film is directed by a movie star who has, at times, been grossly underestimated as an artist of substance. Ben Affleck’s directing is basically invisible, which is probably wise for a debut film on a serious subject. Meanwhile, his camera does slowly and meticulously collect the details that ultimately drive home his movie’s point. When all’s said and done, this film delivers a considerable poetic impact, and for that, enormous credit is due to the guy who crafted it. Affleck may not be the next Martin Scorcese, but if he’s the next Clint Eastwood, we’ll be very fortunate indeed.

Copyright © 2007 Theo Michelfeld