Gone Baby Gone - B++

In theaters. Rated R, 118 minutes. Trailer.

The grade for this one isn't a typo, I just couldn't give it an A-, but it seemed better than a B+. Gone Baby Gone, based on a Dennis Lehane (Mystic River) novel, is the directorial debut for Ben Affleck, who also co-wrote the adapted screenplay. The film stars Casey Affleck, Ed Harris, Michelle Monaghan Morgan Freeman and Amy Madigan.

Set in present day south Boston, this film feels a lot like Mystic River with its 'triple decker' houses and gritty exteriors, as well as a plot heavy on neighborhood, crime, children and abuse. The first part of the plot, as shown in the trailer, involves the abduction of a 4 year old girl and the police and family's search for the girl. The family hires Patrick Kenzie (Casey A.) and his girlfriend (Michelle Monaghan), partners in a fledgling private investigation company to work on the 'neighborhood aspect' of the case. There are several twists and turns that would spoil the movie, so I'll refrain from including anymore plot points.

The movie is really good in most parts, but with a few patches of spotty dialogue and a distracting and banal relationship sideplot with Affleck and Monaghan. The most effective scenes are when Casey has to use his neighborhood mojo to get answers or make it out of situations. Casey gives a great performance; juxtaposed against his role in Jesse James, he has shown himself to be a talented actor. Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman are predictably good, although Freeman seems to mail it in relying on the voice and aura to carry the character. Monaghan annoyed me the whole time, and her character is useless in the film.

Affleck makes good use of the Boston locale and scenery, including the people. Rather than using stock extras, he used the people that showed up each day from the neighborhood, giving the film a richer texture and more believable feel. Dottie, a classic foul mouthed Southie girl, is played by just that - a girl that walked up to Ben and said she needed to be in his movie. The screenplay is very strong in parts, the narrated introduction, for instance, but weak in others, such as the Ed Harris/Casey Affleck drunk scene. All in all I was very impressed with Ben A. with this movie. The direction isn't flashy, but it tells the story in a compelling way with some very good visuals along the way, notably the final scene of the film.

The film explores several interesting themes, but focuses on doing what is right and cutting corners and the ending of the film is ambiguous in a way that I really enjoyed. Worth seeing.