A little girl goes missing in the working class section of Boston. The child’s aunt and uncle (Amy Madigan, Titus Welliver) hire two young private detectives (Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan) to help with the investigation.

As they question witnesses who will not talk to the police, the detectives discover that the girl’s mother (Amy Ryan) may have been the cause of her own daughter’s abduction.  The woman and her boy friend worked as “mules” for a drug dealer who they ripped off for $130,000.00.  Is it possible that the drug dealer is holding the little girl until his dirty money is returned?

On the other hand, police detectives Ed Harris and John Ashton, as well as their captain (Morgan Freeman), think that the child may be the captive of a notorious pedophile who is being harbored by a pair of drug addicts and they are nowhere to be found.

CRITIQUE

In his directorial debut, Ben Affleck has returned to Boston, his hometown, and presents the audience with a portrait of the city’s gritty underside that the Chamber of Commerce would probably like to keep hidden.  The working-class neighborhoods of Boston are, in fact, a viable character in the film, and the director achieves an uncanny realism by populating his streets, barrooms and other settings with the non-actors who actually reside there.

Affleck, along with Aaron Stockard, collaborated on the screenplay adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s novel to create a gripping, sometimes shocking, thriller that is one of the best films of 2007.  Everything seems to work in this picture.  The many plot twists are truly surprising, and nothing is what it seems.  There are some tense action sequences, and the performances are absolutely stunning.

With this movie and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford under his belt, baby-faced Casey Affleck (Ben’s younger brother) seems like a sure bet for major stardom, as does Amy Ryan who plays the most despicable mother to be seen on the big screen since Faye Dunaway was Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest.

Ed Harris, in the pivotal role of the police detective investigating the child’s disappearance, also delivers a memorable performance that should have received Oscar consideration.  He is one of the best actors working today. As was the case with Henry Fonda, Edward G. Robinson and other fine actors whose best roles were often unacknowledged, I wonder if Harris was passed over because people are starting to take his talent for granted.

Morgan Freeman, Michelle Monaghan, John Ashton and the rest of the cast are all at the top of their game.

THE VIDEO

The anamorphic widescreen picture is razor-sharp.  There are no noticeable flaws.  Colors are nothing short of eye-popping and detail is very solid.

THE AUDIO

The Dolby Digital 5.1 Sound is excellent, though some of the cast members do mumble an occasional line of dialogue.

THE EXTRAS

The audio commentary by Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard is both thoughtful and informative.

Deleted Scenes (with optional commentary by Affleck and Stockard), includes a slightly Extended Ending that was best left out.

Going Home: Behind the Scenes with Ben Affleck: The director discusses his love for Boston and his feelings about the film.  Lehane, the producers, actors and others talk about how much they enjoyed working with him.

Capturing Authenticity: Affleck, the producers, actors and others discuss the film’s various key characters and how citizens of Boston were used to enhance the movie’s atmosphere.

FINAL THOUGHT

Gone Baby Gone is one of the best pictures of 2007.