Gone Baby Gone - Review

After hearing nothing but rave reviews and positive opinions, one could be expected to be let down by a movie; a little voice whispers "surely it can't be that good, right?" Well don't listen to it, not one bit.
This is an awesome film.

Plot. As it has such a huge impact on the movie, I'll try and stay as vague as possible.
Perspectives. This movie is about perspective, and grey and dark areas of life. You'll leave the cinema understanding everything but knowing very little.

To begin with the plot paces itself, it introduces the main players and allows you - the viewer - to develop an initial impression; a fairly informative account of each character is presented and you'll be fairly happy with your conclusions.

Private investigator Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) with his partner and girlfriend Angie Gennaro (the underrated Michelle Monaghan) are hired to find a local little girl who has gone missing. Mother, Helene McCready (the brilliant Amy Ryan) is initially portrayed - by the media - as the victim, but once we meet her in person through Angie and Patrick we realize we should have known better; they both provide us with a shining light of goodness (as well as a brief hint at what is to come), which allows us to channel into several perspectives for both the situation and its players; safe becomes dangerous and fearful shadows become perfect hiding places.
Suddenly, the pace increases and you're running towards the conclusion and then it's over and the lights go out; you're left in darkness again. But at least you know it's over, you know it's true darkness.

But it's anything but.

Just when you think the movie has reverted to its slow pace, it begins to crawl; stones overturn and threads unravel, and before you know it you're sprinting at breakneck speeds again; what seemed like perfectly formulated facts now look blurred against the greyish background.

And then the conclusion.
And then the talking point.
And then the conversation during the McDonalds on your way home.

Directing. Just when you think Cassey Affleck will become the next big thing, brother Ben rises from the ashes, like a firey bearded man-mess, and steals the show.
Dealing with child abuse is a risky topic for any director to delve into. But in this movie it is done with so much brilliance and respect you'll be shocked and appalled; gasping at times. But you'll look back and realize, it was what you didn't see which is what you were shocked at.
The film is both dark and blury; but I was rarely squinting to understand something. The darkness is used to hide things from you in plain site as opposed to covering your face. Clever techniques are used to tell this fantastic story, and to reveal its amazing conclusions; flashbacks reveal a perspective of what happened and another will change that perspectives meaning while leaving the original perspective one hundred percent intact.
Its change in pace is handled effectively as well, allowing a perfect blend of character growth and natural change, wrongly executed this could cause a film to fall flat on its face.

Verdict
I'll start with how I finished:
After hearing nothing but rave reviews and positive opinions, one could be expected to be let down by a movie; a little voice whispers "surely it can't be that good, right?" Well don't listen to it, not one bit.
This is an awesome film.

5/5