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# Taylor Vanarsdale: Gone Baby Gone sizzles with authentic Boston grit
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/just-go-baby/
- Published: 2007-10-13T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-25T01:06:39.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By REVIEW BY TAYLOR V A NARS DALE NEWRELEASES*

The first thing you notice about Ben Affleck’s directorial debut, “Gone Baby Gone,” is that the writing sizzles. There’s a distinct rhythm and cadence to the Boston dialect and kudos to writing duo Aaron Stockard and Affleck for getting it right on the money. This duo makes one helluva team and I hope we’ll see more projects from both in the near future.

“Gone Baby Gone” is an authentic, sharp, acerbic film completely capturing the essence of the crime-saturated Bostonian suburb of Dorchester in which it takes place. Story focuses on two young detectives, Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan), who reluctantly take on the case of missing child Amanda McCready. That Amanda’s mother, Helene (played with gritty realism by Amy Ryan) is a coke whore, more interested in her own sexual escapades than the safe return of her daughter, seems to be of no concern to the headstrong Kenzie, who would rather see by-the-book justice meted out, and the child found (if indeed alive) and returned to her rightful parent, regardless of the consequences or impact on the child.

The story itself is fairly predictable: Good guys chase bad guys, good guys kill bad guys, and just as you’d suspect, there’s a crooked cop involved in the whole scheme. The plot has some nice twists and turns but if I have one complaint, and I do, it’s that the film suffers from weak transitions and lighting problems. With its long, weary dips to black, rings of sunlight gratuitously reflected back into the camera lens, artsy shadows, and pointless and unnecessary voiceover, the film, at times, feels a bit like an incredibly expensive student film.

Technical issues aside, the performances are outstanding. Monaghan (“MI3” and “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”) is interesting to watch, as always, and with her upturned mouth and plucky attitude, she’s the precise blend of femininity meets street-smart tough — a perfect compliment to her unyielding investigative partner/lover.

Casey Affleck’s intense portrayal of a character struggling to make the “right” choice is not only engaging it’s award-worthy. He will blow you away. Ed Harris is also spectacular, but then, when isn’t he?

“Gone Baby Gone” with its mix of appealing private eyes, reprehensible drug dealers and ex-cons, the backdrop of a nefarious Boston suburb, lots of guns, violence, and the possibility for endless character arcs; screams, “Spin-me-off!” It’s got all the right ingredients for a compelling television or made-for-cable crime drama series.

Be forewarned; this is not a happy, feel-good movie. It’s a contemplative, introspective piece, one in which you will leave the theater questioning the character’s decisions; mulling over the moral gray zone they negotiate daily. It is worth seeing for its standout performances, phenomenal writing and provocative themes.

Don’t blame me for the unhappy ending. Go, Baby Go!

TAYLOR VAN ARSDALE is a writer/producer and movie reviewer for the Daily Press. She

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/101307-13_02.jpg)

STAR TURN: Casey Affleck stars in ‘Gone.’ (Photo: Photo courtesy Miramax Films)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 13, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/101307.pdf?ref=smdp.com)