Gone Baby Gone

I saw this a couple weekends ago. It was a tense, suspenseful crime drama - not the most uplifting film in the world, but well done with some neat plot twists and excellent performances. Casey Affleck turned in a great leading performance as the private investigator hired to find the missing daughter of Helene McCready, played brilliantly by Amy Ryan (recognizable as Beattie Russell from The Wire).

The film dragged a bit but on the whole it was another gritty Denis Lehane novel brought to the silver screen in the style of Mystic River. Boston doesn't come off very well in this film, although the Southie characters are shockingly true to life. The film captured the essence of Boston without the more blatant scenery and at times overwrought accents of The Departed.

Props to the Affleck brothers. Ben directed a winner in Gone Baby Gone - perhaps he needs to stay behind the camera in the future?