Affleck Shows Potential In ‘Gone Baby Gone’
Ben Affleck may not always be a strong actor, but when it comes to directing a film he does an amazing job. In his directing debut, Affleck has found an avenue for using his obvious intelligence. Co-writing the script with longtime friend Aaron Stockard, Affleck presents a place filled with atmosphere and rich, complicated characters. He has enough confidence in himself never to go for the safe, easy answer.
“Gone Baby Gone” is set on the rough streets south of Boston. Much has been written about Affleck’s decision to populate the background of this gritty crime drama with authentic locals; he even gave several of them speaking parts during crucial scenes in run-down bars. It was a bold move that paid off big-time. You feel as if you’ve been immersed in an insular neighborhood, where your block is your entire world and secrecy is a critical trait.
Working with two-time Oscar-winning cinematographer John Toll and composer Harry Gregson-Williams, Affleck never sugarcoats or overdramatizes the surroundings, instead establishing a mood that’s fraught with danger, suspicion and dark discoveries around every corner. It’s depressing and bleak, but also excitingly alive and real. Affleck keeps you hanging on, wondering where he’s going next, but never overhypes the proceedings.
And the younger Affleck serves as an engaging figure to help us navigate the story’s many turns. He comes off as a regular guy who can be both forceful and frightened, and his character ultimately faces decisions that would trouble anyone. That pervasive sense of moral ambiguity is one of the strongest elements of “Gone Baby Gone,” and it will you keep you thinking and talking about the film long after it’s over.