Hard to take characters seriously in ‘Gone Baby Gone'
Given its pedigree, it's not wrong to expect a lot from "Gone Baby Gone," a Boston-set blue-collar crime thriller built around a 4-year-old girl who has vanished.
But the film, an adaptation of a Dennis Lehane ("Mystic River") novel co-written and directed by Oscar-winner Ben Affleck, is a staggering disappointment fueled by flaccid performances and curious casting choices, beginning with Affleck's brother, Casey.
A fine actor and a gifted comedian (see "Ocean's Thirteen"), the younger Affleck is usually superb, but when cast as a perceptive gumshoe, as he is here, he comes off dopey, as does Michelle Monaghan as his girlfriend and partner in their fledgling East Boston detective agency.
The passive way both approach their roles instantly robs them of any credibility, as does their youthful appearances, which puts them more in a league with Nancy Drew than great detectives played by the likes of Bogart, Nicholson and Rathbone.
You never take them seriously, which makes it all the harder to believe they'd be the first choice of a fretful family desperately trying to find little Amanda McCready, whose disappearance as left even the Boston police baffled.
Apparently, they know people. You know, the cliche small-time hoods that don't talk to the police but freely chat with one of their own, in this case Affleck's Patrick Kenzie. He's a townie just like them, although Affleck's labored attempt at a Boston accent would probably make most guys of questionable repute instantly smell a rat.
Maybe it's those boyish looks that catch them off guard as they freely flap their gums, offering clues that -- like the movie -- mostly come up empty. But not as empty as the film's plethora of twists, red herrings and other distractions designed to disguise the fact that "Gone Baby Gone" really isn't about much at all.
Except maybe exploitation, which is something the film excels at from the cheap lure of a little girl presumably in peril to the cliche of a hard-drinking, drug-using mother who might eventually pose an even bigger threat to little Amanda's well-being than her captors.
If there's a saving grace, it's Amy Ryan as the floozy mom. She's the only actor who comes close to being real, right down to her flawless blue-collar accent. And because she's genuine, she's the only character that comes close to wringing out true emotion.
The rest, including Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris as Boston cops and Titus Welliver and Amy Madigan as Amanda's childless aunt and uncle, are either too measured, or in the case of Harris (looking much too sinister to play a detective), too emotive. Does this guy ever not scream his lines anymore? Of course, the screenplay doesn't give them much to work with. In fact, it's so poorly constructed that one is tempted to buy into rumors that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck had their Oscar-winning script for "Good Will Hunting" ghost written for them.
The elder Affleck fares far better as a director, doing a marvelous job of working with director of photography John Toll in capturing the nuances and ambiance of Boston's distinctive neighborhoods.
The movie and the city, including a pivotal scene shot in the Quincy quarries, look amazing. Far too good, I'd say, for a film with such a flimsy structure and neutered narrative. Add that to a preposterous resolution that's almost as phony as the characters and it's easy to see why this flick with soon be gone baby, gone.
"Gone Baby Gone": R for violence, drug content and pervasive language. Cast includes Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, Amy Madigan and Amy Ryan. Co-written and directed by Ben Affleck. 2 stars.
The Patriot Ledger