Movie Review: 'Gone Baby Gone'

Who woulda thunk it? Ben Affleck – he of big chin, Bennifer and Pearl Harbour fame – is an extremely talented film-maker. It's sure strange, but also true. Need proof? Then look no further than new release Gone Baby Gone , his high quality directorial debut.

Adapted from the Dennis Lehane novel of the same name, Gone Baby Gone is the currently culturally relevant (so much so that its release in the UK was delayed for months following the real life events of the Madeleine McCann disappearance) tale of a child kidnapping and the detectives who strive to find the missing little girl. The private dicks in question are Patrick Kenzie (Ben's little bro Casey, a standout in last year's exceptional Jesse James ) and Angela Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan – Kiss Kiss Bang Bang ), born-and-bred Bostonians brought into the case at the behest of the missing girl's aunt, despite their lack of experience with this type of investigation. Thanks to their pimp and pusher childhood chums, Patrick and Angela quickly uncover evidence that the cops couldn't. They then find themselves at the fulcrum of the investigation and on a path that will ask them to risk everything – their careers, their relationship and even their lives.

One of those rare book-to-film translations where the adaptation actually outdoes the source material, Gone Baby Gone is a riveting and realistic snapshot of just what such a sensationalised and high-profile investigation into child kidnapping might actually be like (until the thriller-standard, twisty-turny ending, that is). Texturally rich with an authentic feel, verisimilitude is the order of the day for adaptor-director Affleck; the dialogue (often lifted verbatim from the book) sounds colloquial and real, the downtrodden locales and locals look every bit the wrong side of the tracks and the overall direction is only one (heightened) step removed from the docu-drama style.

Around this, Affleck's impressive ensemble cast each turn in subtly subdued portrayals of real-seeming people. Making the wise move of surrounding himself with both seasoned pros (Morgan Freeman as the investigation-invested Captain Jack Doyle, Ed Harris as uncompromising cop, Remy Bressant) and up-and-coming talent set on burning up the big screen with their burgeoning abilities (the Oscar nominated Amy Ryan as trailer-trash mama, Helene McCready; the "hot-right-now" Monaghan), Affleck sees each and every one deliver near-faultless performances with decent Boston accents all round to boot.

The best of this bunch by far though is undoubtedly Affleck the younger. Bringing the pivotal character of Patrick wonderfully to life through a conflicting combination of stoic heroism and easily-identifiable emotionality (best exemplified in the bar confrontation scene), his impressive performance proves that his upstaging of Brad Pitt in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford was no fluke and he sets out his stall here as a genuine leading man.

Heralding the second coming of the Afflecks – Casey stepping up from supporting player to established lead, Ben reinventing himself as an accomplished film-maker – and at a time when its message of familial responsibility is certain to make an impact, Gone Baby Gone is a meditative movie that demands your attention.

Four stars