In the new movie Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck proves he is a true artist. The difference between the true artist and the hack is the true artist revels in complexity while the hack strives for simplicity. The hack believes he has all the answers and tries to shove these “truths” down the audience’s throat. The artist, on the other hand, presents all sides of a moral dilemma forcing the audience to probe their consciences. By choosing to be an artist, Affleck’s directorial debut is one masterful piece of cinema.
Based on the Dennis Lehane novel, the movie starts with the abduction of a young girl Amanda McCready (Madeline O’Brien). Amanda’s uncle Lionel McCready (Titus Welliver) and his wife Bea (Amy Madigan) hire local street-smart private detective Patrick Kenzie (Ben’s brother Casey Affleck) and his live-in girlfriend Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) to investigate. When Patrick and Angie interview Amanda’s mother, Helene McCready (Amy Ryan), they find a drug addicted, unfit mother with an uncooperative attitude.
The private eyes talk to Police Captain Jack Doyle (Morgan Freeman) the head of the division dealing with crimes against children. The condescending captain is suspicious of the young private eyes but agrees to cooperate. He assigns two senior detectives, Remy Broussard (Ed Harris) and Nick Poole (John Ashton), to help. When Patrick and Angie meet with the detectives they face hostility and in the case of Broussard contempt. However, they slowly win the confidence of the detective and they start working together to find the girl.
The investigation reveals a tangled web of double crosses and a motley crew of drug dealers, pedophiles, corrupts cops, and greedy relatives. Throughout the investigation, Patrick and Angie are faced with moral dilemmas. For example, Patrick comes face to face with a serial pedophile and child killer and must decide whether to kill him or merely arrest him and possibly let the mentally disturbed man play the system and escape true justice.
However, no dilemma haunts Patrick and Angie more than what to do when they find Amanda. Do they return the child to her unfit mother, and in so doing, condemn the child to a similar life? Or do they let the child live in a loving but illegal family arrangement?
These moral dilemmas make Gone Baby Gone a memorable movie. Ben Affleck realizes by presenting all sides of a moral dilemma instead of imposing his own view on the film, he forces the audience to question their own morality and confront their inherent contradictions. I believe Gone Baby Gone can do for Ben Affleck what Ordinary People did for Robert Redford – elevate him from hunk to respected artist. Here’s hoping Affleck takes on more projects like this in the future.