Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Two detectives with street smarts tackle a child's mysterious disappearance. Ideal for crime drama enthusiasts and fans of gritty stories.
Genres: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Cast
- Cast member 1
- Cast member 2
- Cast member 3
- Cast member 4
- Cast member 5
- Cast member 6
- Cast member 7
- Cast member 8
- Cast member 9
- Cast member 10
Your Status
Gone Baby Gone(2007)
Overview
When 4 year old Amanda McCready disappears from her home and the police make little headway in solving the case, the girl's aunt, Beatrice McCready hires two private detectives, Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro. The detectives freely admit that they have little experience with this type of case, but the family wants them for two reasons—they're not cops and they know the tough neighborhood in which they all live.
My Friends' Ratings
None of your friends have rated this yet.
Cast
Full Cast & Crew
Casey Affleck
Patrick Kenzie
Michelle Monaghan
Angie Gennaro
Morgan Freeman
Jack Doyle
Ed Harris
Sgt. Det. Remy Bressant
John Ashton
Det. Nick Poole
Amy Ryan
Helene McCready
Amy Madigan
Bea McCready
Titus Welliver
Lionel McCready
Michael Kenneth Williams
Devin
Edi Gathegi
"Cheese" Jean Baptiste
Mark Margolis
Leon Trett
Madeline O'Brien
Amanda McCready
George Carroll
Bubba
Trudi Goodman
Roberta Trett
Matthew Maher
Corwin Earle
Jill Quigg
Dottie
Sean Malone
Skinny Ray Likanski
Brian Scannell
Lenny
Jay Giannone
Steve Penteroudakis
William Lee
Big Dave
Featured Comments/Tips
A great story, but Casey Affleck didn'#39;t work well
Always believed Casey Affleck is one of the most underrated actors in the business. Wish he was offered/accepted more roles to show his skills. Anyway I went into this movie with high hopes, but was hesitant as his brother Ben was unproven at the time as a director, (Obviously that has changed with his excellent '#39;The Town'#39; and the great (possibly slightly overrated?) Argo. Well it may be an overused phrase but I was simply blown away. An excellent adaption of a good book with a tight script, unbelievable performances from all the cast, particularly the two leads. Ben really translates the atmosphere of the city and the people who inhabit it to the screen. The movie is made interesting not because of the case, but the characters involved and their interactions, humorous, threatening, pathetic and depressing; often all at once. Casey is outstanding, an Oscar worthy performance. Watch this movie, can'#39;t recommended it enough.
it was interestting.6/10
I didn'#39;t see it coming but that was such a great movie...
Phenomenal. The acting was great all around, particularly Ed Harris and Casey Affleck. All the twists are logical and keep the movie interesting and unpredictable. I would have liked to see Patrick and Angie's relationship fleshed out a little bit more and as it would have made for a more emotional ending, but still felt as though the ending was very good. One more thing -- [spoiler] I still don't understand who the bald guy killed in the bathtub. [/spoiler]
The ultimate modern Trolley Problem on film. Do what's legally and morally (to the character) correct, or divert the trolley so a bunch of people are happy? Absolutely fucking love this movie. As usual there are only two lines that kick me right in the heart at the end: [spoiler]**Patrick:** Is that Mirabelle?[/spoiler] [spoiler]**Amanda:** Annabelle.[/spoiler] [spoiler]**Everyone** in Amanda's life got the doll's name wrong enough for the media to repeat that Amanda was carrying a doll named Mirabelle. Then, as Patrick is trying to ask Amanda about her doll, she corrects him and says the doll's name is Annabelle. Cue Alexi Murdoch's haunting song "Through the Dark" as Patrick begins to realize that Doyle might've had a point.[/spoiler] Also, how fucking amazing was Amy Ryan as Helene? I love the fact that Patrick was the only character to see her actually grief-stricken, when everyone else had written her off as an uncaring mom; likely contributing to his decision.
_Gone Baby Gone_ is a captivating film, thanks in large part to its exceptional cast. The performances, especially by Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan, are top-notch and draw you into the story. The film's intricate plot is riddled with twists that keep you engaged and guessing until the very end. It's a compelling crime drama that delivers a satisfying dose of mystery and intrigue.
A black and white world in shades of gray... that is, there are rarely completely good choices.
"Kids forgive, they don't judge, they turn the other cheek, and what do they get for it?" Can't believe I hadn't seen this one before. Gone Baby Gone has a great story and dilemma at the end. Casey Affleck is great and I always love seeing Amy Ryan. We also get Ed Harris, Michelle Monaghan and freaking Morgan Freeman. Also a plus is that I just simply love Boston settings in movies and we get another one here. Anyway Gone Baby Gone is Ben Affleck's director debut and it is a great one. He clearly knows what he was doing from the get go and he only improved with time. Gone Baby Gone has a great ending and the road towards the ending is great too. Happy I spotted this one on Netflix before it leaves today.
God, I forgot what a gut punch watching this movie is. They ought to do one of the other books as a sequel. I think I'm going to change my rating to a 9. Fantastic cast. Great story.
Really not good - had good actors. Unfortunately they couldn't save a film with terrible writing, producing and directing.
Lehane can write, Ben can direct, Casey can act. Gone Baby Gone is a near perfect novel made it to the big screen as a near perfect movie. A young Casey Affleck and a brilliant Ed Harris show us the dark side of Boston.
very good acting and an amazing story with a lot of very sad moments but as realistic as it can get, and i love it. [spoiler] Literally everybody loses at the end of the movie x). and, I definitely disagree with Patrick'#39;s choice. [/spoiler]
Story-wise, I was fully engaged...but it was sometimes hard to do between the awful Boston accents and Casey Affleck mumbling his way through most scenes. Thankfully there were enough twists, turns, and misdirection to keep my attention. The moral quandries presented throughout should stir some inner dialog about what'#39;s the best choice amongst only bad options.
This is a very nice little film directed by Ben Affleck and starring his brother Casey. Two thinks about the film stand out as they tend to be rare in cinema today: 1) You weren'#39;t quite sure when the roller coaster ride was going to be over. At several points in the movie you thought it might have ended but it moved on. More importantly, the extensions were completely natural and did not feel forced. 2) The director left us with a fascinating moral dilemma that is sure to spark conversation after the film ends.
Die dreckige junkie fotze hat das Kind nicht verdient. Verdammter moral Apostel...
Not very good, really drags on and acting was weak.
'gt;'#34;Kids forgive, they don'#39;t judge, they turn the other cheek, and what do they get for it?'#34; The Afflecks sure do know how to show Boston in a light that is interesting, gritty and dark. What from what I have been told, that is close to the real deal. This movie was good, but can tell Ben Affleck was still getting a feel for how to direct movies (which is later pretty much perfected with The Town).
If you like movies that will question morals, I recommend 10/10
Gone Baby Gone was decent. It had a beautiful opening and a lot of the similar sequences later on were likewise really good; the aerial shots and the ones just showing the community all had very nice accompanying music. It bothered me that the TV broadcast'#39;s text never looked like it was on an analogue TV like the rest of the image and some of the accents were too hard to understand, necessitating turning on subtitles at times. I felt the twist reveals weren'#39;t handled very well as they felt too explanatory with too many flashbacks which took away from the impact they should have had.
Featured User Reviews
Ben Affleck's directorial debut was an instant classic for me. The highlight here is the writing. I haven't read the original novel, so I'm not sure how much credit the Batfleck should get, but in any case, this is a brilliantly paced, hard-hitting mystery. Moral dilemmas in movies often feel superficial, serving more as a plot device for the characters than as a meaningful exploration for the audience. That is not the case here. Thanks to it's clever structure, this movie plants all of the seeds for its moral dilemma without the audience even knowing what the dilemma is. Getting the context before the question makes the finale's reveal that much more effective. The low level writing is equally brilliant, with virtually every scene packed with memorable moments and dialogue, all of which benefit from fantastic performances. There's multiple darkly comedic exchanges that add a touch of humor to this otherwise heavy story, and the brief moments of action are well staged and punchy. There's also the setting to discuss. From the opening scene, it becomes clear that this depressingly well realized city is as much a character in this story as Patrick Kenzie. I can't speak to how accurate the representation actually is, but it certainly feels real. Also, I might just be a sucker for a Boston accent.
Private detectives "Patrick" (Casey Affleck) and "Angie" (Michelle Monaghan) are drafted in by the mother of a missing girl to try to find out what's happened. This is pretty much virgin territory for the pair, but they are local and so might be able to unearth sources unwilling to discuss with the police efforts being led by "Doyle" (Morgan Freeman). Now it's fair to say that the child's mother "Helene" (Amy Ryan) is probably not the most attentive of parents, but she is determined to be reunited with her daughter. What now ensues follows this investigation into their Boston suburb - one that takes them into contact with crooks, drug dealers and an whole fraternity of dangerous hoodlums. Their searching does, however, start to bear fruit - and not a kind of fruit that they really want to discover. The plot thickens and twists and evidence of just who did what and, as importantly, why emerges that causes quite a moral dilemma for the pair. There is a strong dynamic here between the very much on-form partnership of Affleck and Monaghan and the former's brother (Ben) directs this film with consistent pace and a plausible degree of menace. Serendipity takes just too much of an hand in the ending for my liking, but it's still a compelling and thought provoking story that ends up by asking us all a question - the answer to which is not necessarily straightforward. Freeman really only features sparingly, but there are solid supporting contributions from Ed Harris and, to a lesser extent, from Titus Welliver that all help deliver a taut and intriguing drama that is well worth a watch.
Do you know people in the neighborhood who don't talk to the police? Gone Baby Gone is directed by Ben Affleck and Affleck co-adapts the screenplay with Aaron Stockard from the novel of the same name written by Dennis Lehane. It stars Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, John Ashton and Amy Ryan. Music is by Harry Gregson Williams and cinematography by John Toll. Private Investigators Patrick Kenzie (Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Monaghan) are hired to find missing child Amanda McCready (Madeline O'Brien). It appears to be a simple case of a kidnapping, but the deeper the investigators go the darker the truths become. A potent drama, Gone Baby Gone offers up a mystery that is propelled by moral murkiness. Unsurprisingly given it's from a Lehane novel, the twists and deep characterisations dovetail seamlessly with the very real feel of a Boston neighbourhood, the sense of place and community superbly marshalled by Ben Affleck (in what was his debut as a director). The story is so strong it makes us the viewers part of the search for missing Amanda, which in turn forces us to answer the ethical quandaries thrust upon Patrick Kenzie. With tech credits firmly in the plus column and the director un-showy and assured enough to keep the key third act from dragging the picture down, this proves to be very good film making. Pic only has minor faults to be bothered by. Monaghan is a fine actress but she is hard to take here in a street wise role, though with a nicely cast Casey Affleck dominating their scenes she gets away with it. The sharp of mind should pick up on what is driving the mystery forward, whilst the ambiguity at resolution point can go either way for respective viewers appreciation or otherwise. But this is all told a rewarding piece of adult cinema and recommended for sure. 8/10
**Overall : A well-done mystery thriller with a melancholy tone that never lets up and ultimately leaves the viewer a little more sad than satisfied.** Ben Affleck's debut as a director was a decent start. Gone Baby Gone is a crime thriller with significant surprises and twists. The excellent cast and performances accentuated the emotional toll of working on a kidnapping case, and that emotional weight saturates every aspect of the film. Unfortunately, that heavy tone makes the movie a little challenging to enjoy. The dismal and somber mood throughout left me just feeling sad at the end. That poignant hopeless nature was clearly the goal and was well executed but keeps it from being a traditionally "enjoyable" film.
You might also like...
Changeling
2008
Dead Again
1991
Following
1999
Gone Girl
2014
Inside Man
2006
Insomnia
2002
L.A. Confidential
1997
Lantana
2001
Lucky Number Slevin
2006
Mystic River
2003
Presumed Innocent
1990
Se7en
1995
Shutter Island
2010
Source Code
2011
The Departed
2006
The Others
2001
The Prestige
2006
The Town
2010
The Usual Suspects
1995
Damages
2007
Mr. Mercedes
2017
Murder in the First
2014
Safe
2018
The Killing
2011
The Outsider
2020
