Go BABY Go

Daniel Scillieri

Theater: Clearview Cinemas on Tuesday, 11-13-07


Personal Grade: "B"

After hearing more than a few good things about "Gone Baby Gone" Talking in Movies added it to the list. Casey Affleck plays the role of Patrick Kenzie, A private detective who focuses on missing children in the city of Boston. He works with his girlfriend Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) on finding children who have run away from home or wandered off. Early In the movie breaking news hits the television and papers that a young 4 year old girl is kidnapped from her home while her mother is out and the story begins. As they start the investigation, they are thrown into a world of corruption, drug use and child molesters. Morgan Freeman plays the role of Captain Jack Doyle, a popular police officer who also lost his daughter to a kidnapper only to find her murdered, which sets him on a mission to end violence to children. Ed Harris guest stars as Detective Remy Bressant and tags along with the two young investigators in search of the missing child. The movie will keep you guessing and at times on the edge of your seat questioning yourself with "what would I have done in his situation?" In the long run, the movie is presented very well, Ben Affleck (director) does an excellent job at giving you the sense of the hardships of growing up in certain parts of Boston, along with really hitting the heart with some of the events throughout the movie. The morale question of what is right and what is wrong presents itself a few times, leaving an imprint on the viewers. Once again for the loyal Talking In Movies fans...here they are...THE PROS AND CONS


The Pros:
As said in the earlier paragraph, this police thriller earns its place in the genre. The young couple are pressed into this kidnapping case which is way over their heads and they know it. Casey Affleck plays the part of a man who grew up in the heart of Boston and knows the ins and outs along with every back alley corner as if he actually went through it himself. The entire cast plays their respective roles very well which allows you to really dive into the situations between each. You get the sense of how life in Boston is with the famous accents and flowing lines of cursing. The movie's story line does not drag, but instead keeps you following and attempting to figure out who is responsible for the kidnapping. An hour into the movie, the way the film is set it seems like it is about to end, which would of upset me but it goes on even stronger for another hour. Only a very small amount of times was I like, "wow this is so unrealistic" or "that would never happen". The entire story and plot twists makes this a very good movie. As the movie goes on, you find yourself questioning what is right or wrong and it leaves you thinking "what would I have done?" This again, only adds to the mark you feel after leaving the theater. On a personal note, there is one scene when Casey Affleck and Ed Harris are close to solving the puzzle and Casey Affleck does something that had me jump out of my seat in excitement. Now I won't tell you what he does but I was mumbling to myself what I wanted him to do and when he did it made the movie just a little bit better. You will have to go see it, to know what I am talking about.

The Cons:
There were only a few problems I had with this movie, but none were strong enough to lower its grade. The movie at times seemed as if it were a cheaper version of The Departed. Now, I am sure they were not trying to do this when creating the film, but the classic Boston arguments involving more than a few curse words about people's mothers and what they should do to them along with the relationship between the people and the police proves my point. Mind you it makes for some funny dialogue, but i just kept thinking "oh its been done before". Another problem I had was with Michelle Monaghan's character of Angie Gennero. She just seemed out of place in alot of the situations the couple was in. When Patrick Kenzie is trying to make a trade with drug dealers or squeeze information out of an old friend, she cuts in with a comment or an argument that in real life would have gotten them both killed. To quote "Madagascar" I called out a few times " Oh Shut Up You're So Annoying" which got a laugh from my friend Vanessa ( who is a trainee for Talking In Movies). Now one problem I had with the story line was that it kept you guessing for the majority of the movie and you were confused the whole time but then all at once in the span of a few minutes, you figure out the entire thing with very little shock factor. I guess I had it in my head that there was going to be an ending like The Departed, which had one of the most mind blowing final 5 minutes I have ever seen, and when it didn't happen I was a bit dissappointed.

To wrap it up, Gone Baby Gone, earns itself a "B" for having a good story line, even better acting, and offering a glimpse at a world that is usually looked over by those who are not a part of it. The movie keeps your attention throughout the film and leaves you talking about it all the way back to your car. It is definitely a movie to go see in theaters, if you have not already, and if not then an easy choice for a quick rental when it comes out in stores.


Favorite Quote:
Lionel McCready: She isn't in the best shape right now. She doesn't really act this way, normally.
Beatrice McCready: Oh, she's a *%&*
Patrick Kenzie: Do you want us to leave?

sorry, I had to cut that word out, it is the one thing that made me laugh the hardest. Feel free to comment to find out more. And a special thanks to Vanessa Rodriguez for her help and support of Talking In Movies.