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Movie Overview
Cast
• Casey Affleck
• Michelle Monaghan
• Morgan Freeman
Director
• Ben Affleck
MPAA Rating
R - for violence, drug content and pervasive language
Gone Baby Gone (2007)

REVIEWS
NEWS
INTERVIEWS OTHER
OFCS Rating: 95% Fresh
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A
"Gone Baby Gone is a sterling thriller, the kind of raw cinematic power that you tell your friends about as if you've just been put through the spin cycle."  FromTheBalcony  Bill Clark

4.5/5
"By capturing a sense of society lost, by using both the media focus and the behind closed doors denouements that seem to follow such situations, Affleck produces tragedy on an epic Greek scale and moviemaking of classic neo-noir artistry."  PopMatters  Bill Gibron

A
"It's cinematic excellence from Affleck, who takes Lehane's prose and splashes it with cold water, opening the senses of the story, turning it into an unexpected emotional sucker punch."  eFilmCritic.com  Brian Orndorf

C+
"Strong performances from its ensemble cast can't compensate for undeveloped character-reversals, splashes of exploitation, and a broken storyline that feels like two different narratives stuck together."  ColeSmithey.com  Cole Smithey

"Patrick's dedication to the case leaves him isolated, pronouncing his version of the right thing repeatedly, as if he's unsure himself."  PopMatters  Cynthia Fuchs

5/5
"Gone Baby Gone is a masterful work, going beyond the boundaries of simple detective thriller and into the realm of intelligent, morally complex drama."  eFilmCritic.com  David Cornelius

3.5/4
"...a far more accomplished and flat-out compelling piece of work than anybody could've expected."  Reel Film Reviews  David Nusair

B
"Ben Affleck's credible but flawed directorial debut is based on a grim Beantown thriller from the 1998 novel by Dennis Lehane of Mystic River fame."  Ozus' World Movie Reviews  Dennis Schwartz

3/4
"The provocatively-titled Gone Baby Gone peels itself one layer at a time, revealing unpredicted and mesmeric sides to a story that could never be guessed from the initial setup."  TheMovieBoy.com  Dustin Putman

3/5
"Ben Affleck se gradúa de director con un drama policial oscuro y hasta polémico, hábilmente narrado y bien actuado. Lo de Amy Ryan es una revelación."  Uruguay Total  Enrique Buchichio

B+
"A riveting mystery/thriller ... absorbing and carefully constructed."  EricDSnider.com  Eric D. Snider

4/4
"Gone, Baby, Gone is not just one of the strongest pictures of the year, but one of the best debuts behind the camera for any filmmaker, moviestar or otherwise."  eFilmCritic.com  Erik Childress

"... Ben Affleck is probably the last person most people thought capable of crafting such a perfectly realized movie, especially on his first time at bat."  DVD Review  Felix Gonzalez Jr.

3.5/4
"Casey Affleck gives one of the strongest performances of 2007..."  Cinema Crazed  Felix Vasquez Jr.

3/4
"[A] tortured morality play that takes place on the salacious sidewalks where bluebloods and bombastic blue-collared souls equally pound the pavement in cynical unity."  World Voice News  Frank Ochieng

B+
"A triumph for both of the Affleck brothers...its quiet, understated approach to what could be a simply lurid topic is compelling."  One Guy's Opinion  Frank Swietek

3/5
"An absorbing and gritty drama that compels us to think seriously about the complicated moral dimensions of what serves the best interests of children in America."  Spirituality and Practice  Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

B
"With its authentic sense of place, the film rises above the head of your average abducted child procedural in a manner its director rarely rises above the head of your average actor--through naturalistic credibility."  Cinepinion  Henry Stewart

3.5/4
"The strength of the film's subject matter and the intelligence and perceptiveness with which it is approached make this not merely an October diversion but a genuine Oscar contender."  ReelViews  James Berardinelli

3/4
"A gritty expose of the shady shards of right and wrong."  Palo Alto Weekly  Jeanne Aufmuth

8/10
"Better than the debuts of most actors-turned-directors in that it contains vision and perspective as opposed to concentrating mostly on performances"  Window to the Movies  Jeffrey Chen

3.5/4
"Impressive directing debut from media punching bag Ben Affleck - featuring another fine performance from brother Casey - aims to be a Chinatown for the Boston set and nearly succeeds."  Big Picture Big Sound  Joe Lozito

7/10
"...count Gone Baby Gone among the better crime thrillers of 2007."  DVDTown.com  John J. Puccio

"Affleck's non-acting effort is dark, scuzzy, and authentic."  Planet Sick-Boy  Jon Popick

2.5/4
"The action and drama related to the taking of the girl and the unraveling of the mystery are inarguably engrossing, but sometimes twists and turns that work on the page are drained of impact once put to screen."  Bangitout.com  Jordan Hiller

B+
"Affleck's stepped up to Eastwood and Scorcese, his Gone Baby Gone completing a trilogy of sorts begun with Mystic and continued with The Departed. It's as Boston as baked beans."  Reeling Reviews  Laura Clifford

3/4
"An admirably dark, ambiguous thriller with the courage of its morally compromised convictions."  TV Guide's Movie Guide  Maitland McDonagh

3/4
"The third act is a labyrinth of past transgressions coming to light and shady character motivations, but co-writer/director Ben Affleck ... allows the moral ambiguity of [the film's] characters and scenario to have an impact."  Mark Reviews Movies  Mark Dujsik

8/10
"Ben Affleck's first feature film as director turns out to be a much better film than most of the films that he has acted in."  rec.arts.movies.reviews  Mark R. Leeper

"The bleak victory here is in Affleck's wickedly unforgiving eye for the insularity of neighborhood, for authentic working-class Boston..."  Flick Filosopher  MaryAnn Johanson

3.5/4
"The overall sense of authenticity makes the Gone Baby Gone cut all the more deep."  Mr. Brown's Movies  Michael Dequina

3.5/4
"Gone Baby Gone goes beyond just being a good mystery. This is a film with something valid to say about child welfare, and it imparts its message with passion, depth, and grace."  Aisle Seat  Mike McGranaghan

B+
"The stand-out is Amy Ryan as Amanda's almost-feral mother, in a full-on performance of breathtaking courage and mastery of detail."  Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies  Nell Minow

3.5/5
"Amanda's neighborhood is the kind of place where Will Hunting would've gotten an icepick in the neck for that "How do you like those apples" speech."  Film Threat  Pete Vonder Haar

4/5
"Ben Affleck does such a surprisingly effective job behind the cameras that someone unfamiliar with him would be hard-pressed to prove that this film marks his first time in the director's chair."  eFilmCritic.com  Peter Sobczynski

C+
"A decent story that was compelling through most of the movie."  Laramie Movie Scope  Robert Roten

"The reason why Gone Baby Gone works so well is the attention to which Boston is portrayed. The urban neighbourhood is like another character in an already strong cast, one that has needs and desires just like everyone else."  Movie Views  Ryan Cracknell

4/5
"taut and dangerous"  Filmcritic.com  Sean O'Connell

8/10
"Enigmatic - with a challenging conclusion that's bound to ignite conversation after the lights go on."  www.susangranger.com  Susan Granger

8/10
"After a decade and a half of increasingly pointless acting jobs, Ben Affleck has finally found his calling."  Antagony & Ecstasy  Tim Brayton

4/4
"The old maxim about the road to Hell literalized in this exceptional procedural."  Film Freak Central  Walter Chaw

3.5/4
"A crime thriller that redefines how character-centered stories can be approached."  Oscar Guy  Wesley Lovell
OFCS Rating: 95% Fresh
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