Genre: crime drama
Director: Ben Affleck
Release: 2007
Studio: Touchstone Pictures, Miramax Films et al. – Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Miramax Films
Rating: R
MBiS score: 7.2/10
The More You See, The More It Hurts
Boston, Massachusetts. Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and his girlfriend Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan), who are partners in a small detective agency, are approached by members of the McCready family to investigate the disappearance of little Amanda (Madeline O'Brien), a four-year-old girl. Although they are not ideally qualified for the job and Amanda’s case is already investigated by the police, Patrick and Angie accept to do their part for the McCreadys… not knowing what they’re getting into. With Amy Ryan (Helene McCready, Amanda’s mother), Titus Welliver (Lionel McCready), Amy Madigan (Bea McCready), Ed Harris (Remy Bressant), Morgan Freeman (Jack Doyle), John Ashton (Nick Poole), Mark Margolis (Leon Trett), Michael Kenneth Williams (Devin), Edi Gathegi (Cheese Jean-Baptiste) and Matthew Maher (Corwin Earle).
It’s quite easy to review a movie you have loved, especially when every critic out there agrees with you, but you can’t help second-guessing yourself when a film lauded by a large majority has left you with the blahs. Such is my frame of mind – a mixture of respect, disappointment and doubt – as I write about GONE BABY GONE, a drama that shows clear kinship with MYSTIC RIVER but cannot equal, at least in my book, Clint Eastwood’s superlative work. For better or for worse, here are my thoughts.
In Ben Affleck’s brave and competent oeuvre, there are things I admired and others that annoyed me. On the positive side, GONE BABY GONE carries a gritty, authentic feel steeped in working-class mores, dubious behaviour and deep mistrust for the police. As the eloquent and glamourless first scenes plainly show, people in Patrick Kenzie’s part of town can only survive if they acquire a steel-like toughness that locks in most human emotions; these are ordinary folk with little to hope for except arduous labour, fleeting love, habitual boredom and the temptations of crime, petty or otherwise. In such a milieu, investigating a kidnapping is no small task even for an insider: there will always be hidden facts to uncover, surprises to fathom, compromises to make. On this account, Affleck’s production clearly succeeds as a realistic representation of grim lives even if its effectiveness is marred by distant camera work early on in the narrative. Those few scenes filmed from afar don’t last long but they bothered me nevertheless.
GONE BABY GONE is well-stocked in acting talent but Casey Affleck stands out. He fully convinced me with his low-key portrayal of Patrick Kenzie, a man who has not turned his back on the past; there is something in this actor’s broken voice and soft delivery that reminds me of Alan Arkin’s supple playing. As for Michelle Monaghan, I have reservations not about her performance but about her inconsistent character; at times, Angie Gennaro dreads what lies ahead as would any tender-hearted woman but, in others, she acts with inexplicable calmness in the face of imminent danger or even demonstrates patent ruthlessness. In supporting roles, Amy Ryan offered a fine interpretation, Edi Gathegi also; Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman in no way tarnished their sterling reputations.
As for the movie’s story-line, it is irreproachable – up to a point. The action develops slowly but gathers noticeable momentum as the investigation moves along. There are turns and complications, violent emotional setbacks (as in BLACK RAIN, I thought), genuine mystery and suspense. Truly, the screenplay goes to great lengths to offer something different and, while things looked quite murky midway, I never doubted that an answer would emerge. When it did, however, I was simply unable to accept it. Here’s why.
Warning – spoilers ahead! (1) When you think about it, the motive for the kidnapping was not very sound. Consider the people who stood to benefit from the crime: a former police officer (of all people!) and his faithful wife, senior citizens to boot. They will be in their eighties by the time Amanda comes out of adolescence! As justification, it is stated that the couple had lost a little girl many years ago… but why have they waited this long before filling the void in their lives? With so many orphans stranded in our world, wouldn’t legal adoption make more sense than stealing a child, especially for a retired policeman? Was it all worth the risks involved? Could this twisted man turn into a ‘serial adopter’ if left unaccountable? And since when has the police substituted itself for social services in order to remove a child from her mother’s care? (2) On another level, the targeting of Amanda resulted from actions and decisions that were not entirely plausible. Why was she picked, especially when the kidnappers knew about her mother’s erratic lifestyle, drug connections and shady relations? Wouldn’t a policeman be attracted to a child with a healthier background? This sort of kidnapping, I guess, would seem more believable in a small town – where some people are well-connected and freely put their fingers where they shouldn’t – but to see it happen in a major city may be a stretch. And how do you figure out Amanda’s new life? Has she been brainwashed into accepting her forced adoption? How was it explained to her? Doesn’t she still remember Mommy? (3) Seen as a whole, the machinations required to cover up the kidnapping go beyond the mandatory ‘suspension of disbelief’. You have lies, intimidation, the police incidentally suspecting known child molesters for the kidnapping, an elaborate exchange taking place in a remote area, drug traffickers being murdered, a botched raid and a police detective disguised as a robber who barges into a watering hole to threaten his contact in front of the bartender and several witnesses… in other words, a smorgasbord for conspiracy fans. Would you go this far for a little girl? I sure wouldn’t… and I can only surmise that the story was conceived in such a way that Amanda would be spared. Because of this emphasis on suspense over logic, the story-line thus failed entirely for me despite its other qualities and treasurable little denouement. Accordingly, I don’t see how I can award this film (without regard to Dennis Lehane’s book on the subject) anything more than a very low passing grade.
In conclusion, is GONE BABY GONE worth your precious time? Certainly if you’re in the mood for a robust and gruelling film that is all guts and messy situations and if you’re ready to overlook the snags in its story-line. As for me, you know where I stand. To quote Brando’s famous line in ON THE WATERFRONT, this film ‘could have been a contender’ but its punch was deadened by one twist too many. Nevertheless, it goes the distance like a granite-jawed brawler bent on punishing everyone - its characters, viewers and even this would-be reviewer - in the process. I hope you’ll understand.
MBiS
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