On DVD: Gone Baby Gone

 

 

Directed By Ben Affleck

Starring Casey Affleck, Amy Madigan, Morgan Freeman

 

OK, I agree that Ben Affleck hasn't done a super great film in a good while but I'm not an Affleck hater like many movie fans and critics.  I think it's because I was a fan of Project Greenlight, the HBO then Bravo series that gave lucky filmmakers a million bucks to make a film, and Affleck was very personable and funny in that series and he really seemed to want to work for these fledgling filmmakers to get their film made.  So when I heard Affleck was directing this film I came to it with a completely open mind.

 

The Movie

 

Affleck is back home on the streets of Boston with this story about a young child that gets kidnapped and the private detective hired to back up the police search to find her.  The film is surprisingly well directed with gripping drama and gritty and realistic law of the streets atmosphere.  It's obvious that Affleck is at home in this environment and even with all of his money he still seems to remember what it's like to run these streets.

 

The film is based on a book by Dennis Lehane who also wrote the novel Mystic River which Clint Eastwood previously brought to the big screen.  The story exists above a simple crime story by creating deep and believable characters and rich drama.  Surprisingly Affleck does a fine job of bringing this drama and these characters to the big screen avoiding hammy melodrama.

 

This film is dark and virtually joyless as it should be considering the subject matter.  The main character in a modern noir style weaves his way through street thugs, government corruption, and pedophilia.  Along the way the film asks thought provoking and somewhat controversial questions through its visuals about who is good and who is bad and whether they are playing the part they are expected to be playing.  Sometimes the most obvious villains are the safest because we know what to expect.  We expect law enforcement and religious leaders to be our safety net and when that net breaks it can be much more deadly.

 

Along with Ben Affleck's strong direction the cast also handles the film fantastically especially Casey Affleck who may have done his best work to date in this film.  I think there's a lot in this film thematically that makes it a buy because it deserves multiple viewings and to be shared.  Fans of Mystic River should give this a shot because it's definitely a bookend to that film.

 

8.5/10

 

The Video

 

This anamorphic presentation is a mixed bag.  Bright scenes look great and really do a good job of bring Affleck's vision from theaters to TV but darker scenes get really murky with a major drop in detail.  Skin tones look great and grain is mostly of the purposeful type bring the streets to screen in a gritty and dark way.  Overall the film looks good but darker scenes needed more work in the DVD authoring department.

 

7/10

 

The Audio

 

The Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation is pretty basic with a good mix for dialogue, score, and sound effects but it's all mostly front loaded with minimal use of the surrounds.  The presentation is clean and easy on the ears but it feels awfully basic.

 

6.5/10

 

The Packaging and Bonus Features

 

The single disc release comes in a standard amaray case with very bland artwork featuring floating head images of the stars.

 

The big extra here is a feature length audio commentary with director Ben Affleck and writer Aaron Stockard.  The commentary is really subdued and kind of quiet but if you stick with it there's some great information here that enhances the viewing experience.  What's really refreshing here is that Affleck is very critical of himself in the commentary pointing how his perceived mistakes.

 

Going Home: Behind the Scenes with Ben Affleck is a very short behind the scenes featurette follows Affleck directing the film in his home turf.  This featurette is way to short.

 

Capturing Authenticity: Casting Gone Baby Gone is just what it sounds like; it focuses on the cast of the film.  This short feels like it could have just been edited into the Going Home featurette.

 

Finally there are some deleted scenes but oddly no trailer.

  

7.5/10

 

Overall (Not an Average) 8/10

The Review

The Movie 8.5/10

The Video 7/10

The Audio 6.5/10

The Packaging and Bonus Features 7.5/10

Overall (Not an Average) 8/10

 

-Stephen Lackey