Gone Baby Gone ****
Cast: Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, John Ashton, Amy Ryan, Amy Madigan, Titus Welliver, Madeline O'Brien, Edi Gathegi
Director: Ben Affleck
Running Length: 1:55
MPAA Classification: R

Private investigators Patrick Kenzie (Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Monaghan) are approached by Lionel (Welliver) and Beatrice McCready (Madigan) to look for their niece, Amanda (O’Brien), who has gone missing. They fear the police won’t be able to devote enough time towards the investigation and think Patrick and Angie would be a great help. Opposed to their help are the girl’s mother, Helene (Ryan); the police chief Jack Doyle (Freeman); and the two cops working the case, Remy Bressant (Harris) and Nick Poole (Ashton). They quickly discover some overlooked clues that put them in harm’s way as well as put them in the position of having to make some morally ambiguous decisions.

“Gone Baby Gone” is a mystery/thriller that is full of twists and turns. They can be figured out beforehand if one pays attention thanks to this well written and executed script. Solid performances all around compliment Ben Affleck’s first outing in the director’s chair. Like “Mystic River” before it (it was also based upon a novel by Dennis Lehane), the film doesn’t offer any easy answers. It forced the audience to decide for themselves if the right thing is done by the characters. This is a solid, top-notch film, and a definite contender for Best Picture when the Oscars come around. I highly recommend this film.