GONE BABY GONE

This is one of those movies that sticks with you. Although it's a crime drama, so much more. And, for me, it does what a movie is suppose to do or it has what a movie is suppose to have; some sort of redeeming purpose. And, for me, it was not the ending that I would have written but it was plausible. It's very hard to say what I mean and yet convey a sense of the movie. The basic story is the kidnapping of a little girl: her little life and history is a mother who is a dope head among many things. The mother basically has stolen a drug dealer's money and he has retaliated by stealing the daughter. Pretty straight forward. NOT. The twists and turns keep you on the edge. What you think and what the movie portrays is not it at all.

I can't reveal much or I'll spoil the movie. Casey Affleck is great in an academy award performance, whatever that is. He reminds very much of William Hurt in how he underplays his role, very effective. He is gentle but tough. I saw him in the Jesse James movie and wrote the movie off as too ethereal when in fact, it was more his acting method.

Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman are outstanding as is everybody in this movie. No weak role. What fascinates me always about Morgan Freeman is that you can see him in any role and he makes you think the one he's playing is just who he is.

Ben Affleck's directoral debut is very impressive. His ending, given the situation and the decisions made were very, very intuitive (imaginative).

This movie is really also about ethics and ethical decision making (deciding what is right and wrong). We come to the truth and decide how best to handle the truth. Many of us in various ways come to those situations on occasion, maybe not in the same dramatics of this movie but generally in living life.

Another thing that I liked about this movie was it educated us which I think movies can do while entertaining. For most of us middle or upper middle class types, we are never exposed to the underbelly of life like presented in this movie; big cities where drugs are so pervasive, kids living in squalor, not much of a chance in life--perverts, a way of life that is far removed from us. See this movie, worth your time. Sad, dramatic, thought provoking.