Gone Baby Gone

[Vanilla]

Review/Discuss

[Warhorse]

Very good movie, I give it a B, but from a personal point of view, I disliked the ending. I just thought the guy was after the glory of finding the lost little girl, not thinking about the little girl's best interest.

[rockNrollaDIM]

Excellent movie. Casey Affleck is a great actor (also fan-fucking-tastic in the Jesse James movie). And Ben is two for two in the director's chair.

[rockNrollaDIM]

Very good movie, I give it a B, but from a personal point of view, I disliked the ending. I just thought the guy was after the glory of finding the lost little girl, not thinking about the little girl's best interest.

Well yeah. But that's the whole point of the ending... It makes you think. What's really the right decision in that situation?

Respecting the law? Or doing what's best for the girl? Sure Morgan Freeman's character may have had the best intentions and maybe would have done a better job raising her; but in the long run, is that really the best thing for the girl- to be taken from her mother? It's hard enough to accept that as a viewer so the choice must have been even more tough for the characters...

[acsc1312]

Gets better with multiple viewings, as the first time kind of left me cold. Affleck is great though (though not as great as in Assasination). Affleck has the opportunity to truly become a great director if he keeps it up.B+

[Warhorse]

Well yeah. But that's the whole point of the ending... It makes you think. What's really the right decision in that situation?

Respecting the law? Or doing what's best for the girl? Sure Morgan Freeman's character may have had the best intentions and maybe would have done a better job raising her; but in the long run, is that really the best thing for the girl- to be taken from her mother? It's hard enough to accept that as a viewer so the choice must have been even more tough for the characters...

After watching the Casey Anthony trial, me thinks the little girl is better off with the elderly couple. I can just see it now, the mother brings home some dead beat, and beats the kid because she's being a kid.

[4815162342]

After watching the Casey Anthony trial, me thinks the little girl is better off with the elderly couple. I can just see it now, the mother brings home some dead beat, and beats the kid because she's being a kid.

But here's the thing, Morgan Freeman is responsible for almost all of the violence that happened in the film. At least 3 murders are directly attributable to his conspiracy (Skinny Ray, the 2 gangbangers), the attempted murder of the girl's uncle, and Ed Harris' own death during the course of the aforementioned attempted murder. If the mother is unfit, then the girl shouldn't live with her, but there is no conscionable way you can let Morgan Freeman and his wife keep her because of all the blood on his hands. He has to get taken in for those crimes and if that happens, the whole house of cards has to come down with it.

[Kvikk Lunsj]

After watching this movie makes not want ever work in Department of Human services. It is a tough call but the police should called protective services. This is there job to make the call on how to handle this situation.Good movie though.

[baumer]

All three of Ben's directed films are fantastic. This blew me away, in every way. Casey is oscar worthy in here and Ben's directing is stellar. The end was one of the best things about the movie. It makes you talk about it.9/10

[ChD]

After Argo, The Town, I've finally watched this and have to say that Affleck surely know how to do his job. Casey Affleck does have a solid performance, but this is the first movie I've seen him in so I won't take any conclusions about his talent. Oscar worthy? Maybe...

 

I found the end quite disappointing (from my view, probably because nothing changed), which means it was the good one because, as Baumer said, it makes you talk and think about it.

 

A-

Edited May 30, 2013 by ChD

[CoolioD1]

Easily Affleck's best film. Thought provoking w/ excellent cast.

[LexJoker]

Very engaging and thrilling movie. Like most people said, this movie indeed makes you think and analyze situations.Its funny people saying that they disliked the ending because what Patrick(Casey) did was wrong. Thats the whole point of the ending. I hated what Patrick did myself. Patrick too knew what Freeman's character and Michelle's character said was probably right. It was not supposed to show that what Patrick did was right or wrong. He made the decision and he had to live with it. It's not a preachy movie, it doesn't show that what you should or shouldn't do in such situations.He shot the pedophile, he regretted it. He believed he had no right to do that, and the next time a situation comes, he would have done the legally right thing. Now thats his character, his beliefs and which decision would give him more peace of mind. 

Edited August 7, 2013 by LexJoker

[Jack Nevada]

Solid thriller.

[Dark Jedi Master 007]

A great movie. Either a 3.5/4 or a 4/4. It's Affleck's Best Film as a Director. The ending is really thought provoking. 

[Cmasterclay]

Incredibly thought provoking and morally complex thriller that is loaded with frightening ideas and genuine moral repercussions. Also, the cast is fantastic, especially Casey Affleck, who blew me the fuck away in both this and Out of the Furnace. Might just be Ben's best film- though the great source material and cast helps, he really guides this film in fascinating directions.

[ShouldIBeHere]

A-

 

Great thriller... and I hope the Affleck brothers will continue to do business. 

[RobinHood26]

B (83.5)

[Webslinger]

I'd say it's one of the most underrated movies of the 2000s. The mystery plot is intriguing enough in its own right, but the performances and the moral ambiguity of its third act are what elevate it to the next level. Amy Ryan should have won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her work here; she's so electrifyingly unhinged that it's tough to take eyes off of her. Ed Harris also does some of the best work of his overlooked career (seriously, just watch the scene when he drunkenly flips out about the justice that should be executed against people who harm to children, and tell me that he shouldn't have been up for an Oscar). The ending will undoubtedly divide audience, but that's exactly its point: this situation is one in which no one wins, and Casey Affleck's protagonist must always wonder how the lives of all others involved would have been different if he had chosen the other path. As strong as his other work is, I don't hesitate in labeling this film as the best of Ben Affleck's directorial career to date.

 

A

[Blankments]

Gone Baby Gone is really incredible. A breathtaking thriller, it features incredibly strong performances by Casey Affleck and Morgan Freeman, although the entire cast is fantastic. Ed Harris in particular is at his best here, and completely unrecognizable. Affleck's direction is top-notch; in ways, he feels more accomplished here than in Argo. The film definitely has more stylistic flavor, in part due to Toll's more fascinating cinematography style. The third act is the most intriguing part, and ends the film in a contemplative manner that's rather unexpected. Gone Baby Gone is an excellent directorial debut, aided by powerful performances and a truly engrossing script. A-