A Thousand Shades of Gray
posted on Thursday, December 06, 2007 in Movie Reviews
Ben Affleck has found his true calling. As an actor, Ben Affleck hasn’t really had very many memorable performances, but behind the camera, he’s got it right the first time. Gone Baby Gone is a great little neo-noir film that will have audiences talking. The film documents the search for a missing little girl. 4 year-old Amanda McCready, from one of the toughest neighborhoods in Boston, has been abducted. When the police turn up nothing, two private detectives who know the neighborhood are hired to help search for Amanda. The detectives cover every angle, dealing with all sorts of urban criminals, and eventually having to make the toughest decision in their lives.
It’s the sort of simple set-up that noir really thrives in. From the abduction, the film spirals out into an exploration of urban crime and an examination of how people deal with it. Affleck paints a world where crime is inevitable, and getting rid of criminals isn’t the best solution. A rich cast of characters fleshes out this idea, and the audience is treated a spectacular spectrum of moral grays. Everybody’s got something to hide in this film, but we might not want to know anyway.
At the heart of this story is a powerful moral dilemma, and it’s treated with a deft hand. This is what will get audiences talking. There will be discussions about the choices of the characters in this film, and people will have varying opinions about what should have been done or what could have been done, and it will all be right, and wrong, and totally uncertain. That’s one of the beautiful things a movie can do, and Gone Baby Gone hits on all the right levels.
All this is brought to life by a great cast. Casey Affleck seems to be able to do everything his brother can do in the acting department, but better. He has that much more restraint, and that much more subtlety. He is a fine leading man, and this should help him step out of the shadows. Michelle Monaghan is every bit as good, presenting a poignant counterpoint to Affleck’s intensity. Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman do what they always do: put up great performances. But the standout in the supporting cast is Amy Ryan, who plays the little girl’s drunkard, drug-abusing mother.
But all credit still has to go to the director. Affleck fills every scene with moral ambiguity, and creates tension in even the smallest of moments. The storytelling is seamless, and we are right there with every twist and turn the story takes.
Gone Baby Gone is a good, well-crafted movie, but it’s more than that. There is really something to be said about crafting a morally complex film nowadays. Hollywood tends to simplify the choices of its characters, leaving us with a very clear message of the right thing to do. But Gone Baby Gone takes another tack and leaves us talking. That is a very powerful thing, and for that, it should be praised to no end.
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