Gone Baby Gone

Gone Baby Gone is a 2007 American neo-noir mystery thriller film directed by Ben Affleck. In his feature-length directorial debut, Affleck co-wrote the screenplay with Aaron Stockard based on the 1998 novel Gone, Baby, Gone by Dennis Lehane. The film stars Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan as two private investigators hunting for a young girl abducted from her single mother's apartment in the Boston neighborhood of Dorchester. The supporting cast includes Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris and Amy Ryan.

For the book which this film is based on, see Gone, Baby, Gone (novel).
Gone Baby Gone
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBen Affleck
Produced by
Screenplay by
  • Ben Affleck
  • Aaron Stockard
Based onGone, Baby, Gone
by Dennis Lehane
Starring
Music byHarry Gregson-Williams
CinematographyJohn Toll
Edited byWilliam Goldenberg
Production
company
Miramax Films
The Ladd Company
Distributed byWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release date
  • October 19, 2007 (2007-10-19)
Running time
114 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$19 million
Box office$34.6 million[1]

Released on October 19, 2007, the film was well-received by critics and grossed $34.6 million worldwide against its $19 million budget. Ben Affleck was lauded for his directing debut by many critic organizations. Amy Ryan received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Plot

In a run-down neighborhood in Dorchester, Boston, three-year-old Amanda McCready has been abducted along with her favorite doll, Mirabelle. P.I. Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and his partner and girlfriend Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) witness a televised plea for Amanda's return by her mother, Helene (Amy Ryan), amid a media frenzy. The girl's aunt Bea (Amy Madigan) and uncle Lionel (Titus Welliver) hire them to find Amanda.

Using his connections in the Boston crime underground, Patrick discovers that Helene and her boyfriend "Skinny Ray" were drug mules for a local Haitian drug lord named Cheese, and had recently stolen $130,000 from him. After discovering Ray has been murdered by Cheese's men, Patrick and Angie join detectives Remy Bressant (Ed Harris) and his partner Nick in investigating the case. They believe that Cheese may have taken Amanda.

Patrick meets with Cheese and tries to negotiate the return of Cheese's stolen money in exchange for Amanda, but Cheese initially denies any involvement in the girl's disappearance. Police Captain Jack Doyle (Morgan Freeman) later reads Patrick a telephone transcript of Cheese calling into the station to set up an exchange for Amanda. The exchange at a nearby quarry is botched after a gunfight breaks out, and Cheese is killed. It is believed that Amanda fell in the quarry's pond and drowned; her doll is retrieved from the water and returned to Helene. Doyle, whose own daughter was killed years before, goes into early retirement following public outcry over the mishap.

Two months later, a seven-year-old boy is abducted in Everett, and Patrick receives information that he was taken by Corwin Earle, a known child molester. After entering the suspect's house and finding evidence of the abducted boy, Patrick returns with Remy and Nick late at night to rescue him. A shootout ensues and Nick is fatally wounded. Patrick enters the house and finds the boy's dead body, then shoots the surrendering Corwin in the back of the head in a fit of rage. Trying to alleviate Patrick's guilt, Remy confides that he once planted evidence on someone with the help of "Skinny Ray". Patrick later remembers that Remy had first told him he didn't know Ray.

Nick dies of his injuries. After his funeral, Patrick speaks to a police officer named Devin who tells him that Remy had known about Cheese's stolen money before Cheese even knew it was missing. Patrick questions Lionel in a bar and pieces together that Lionel and Remy had conspired to stage a fake kidnapping in order to take the drug money for themselves and to teach Helene a lesson. At that point, Remy (trying to cover for his earlier mistake) enters the bar wearing a mask, staging a robbery to interrupt their conversation. Patrick realizes that Remy plans to kill him and Lionel to keep them quiet. The bartender shoots Remy twice in the back and Remy flees, pursued by Patrick to the rooftop of a nearby building, where he eventually dies from his wounds.

Patrick is questioned by the police about Remy's death and learns that the police never had a phone transcript like the one that Doyle had read to him prior to the botched exchange. Patrick and Angie then drive to Doyle's home, where they find Amanda alive and well. Doyle was part of the kidnapping all along and helped set up the fake exchange to frame Cheese and throw Patrick off the scent. Patrick threatens to call the authorities but Doyle tries to convince him that Amanda is better off living with him than with her neglectful mother. Patrick discusses the choice with Angie; she believes Amanda is happy and safe with Doyle, and says she will hate Patrick if he returns Amanda to her mother.

Patrick decides to call the police to collect Amanda, as he believes she belongs with her mother regardless of Helene's parenting. Doyle and Lionel are arrested, and Patrick and Angie break up.

Patrick later visits Amanda as Helene is about to leave for a date, not yet knowing who would babysit, and he volunteers to watch her. Patrick asks Amanda about Mirabelle, only to have Amanda inform him that her doll's name is Annabelle, implying that Helene did not even know the name of her daughter's favorite toy.

Cast
Affleck directing on set at Meaney Park, Dorchester in May 2006

Production

Filming took place on site in Boston (mainly South Boston) and extras were often local passers-by. Other locations used include the former Quincy Quarries.[2]

Release

Released on October 19, 2007, the film grossed $20.3 million in the U.S. and Canada and $14.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $34.6 million against its $19 million budget.[1]

The UK release was originally set for December 28, 2007, but was pushed back to June 6, 2008, due to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.[3] The Malaysian release was originally set for September 20, 2007, but was postponed to March 27, 2008, due to the kidnapping and murder of eight-year-old Nurin Jazlin.

Reception

Critical reception

The film garnered a positive reception from critics and audiences. The movie won an assortment of awards, including Best First Film for Ben Affleck from the Austin Film Critics Association. As of April 25, 2014, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported 94% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 179 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The critical consensus states that "Ben Affleck proves his directing credentials in this gripping dramatic thriller, drawing strong performances from the excellent cast and bringing working-class Boston to the screen."[4] The review aggregator Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 72 out of 100, based on 34 reviews.[5]

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone raved "The brothers Affleck both emerge triumphant in this mesmerizing thriller,"[6] while the New York Post called it "a twisty, morally ambiguous and satisfying neo-noir."[7] Patrick Radden Keefe criticized the film for overstating the case in an otherwise laudable attempt to "capture Boston in all its sordid glory," writing that "The result is not so much what Mean Streets did for New York as what Deliverance did for Appalachia."[8]

Ryan's performance in particular was singled out for acclaim, resulting in wins for the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress and National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress, as well as nominations for the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award.

In an issue of Vrij Nederland, Dutch critic and writer Arnon Grunberg called the book good, but the movie better, saying "Gone Baby Gone might not be a perfect film, but it's definitely an important one, if only to raise the question: 'What is home?'"[9]

Top 10 lists

The film appeared on 65 critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2007.[10][11]

Awards and nominations
Award Category Subject Result
Academy Award Best Supporting Actress Amy Ryan Nominated
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Association Award Best Supporting Actress Won
Austin Film Critics Association Award Best First Film Ben Affleck Won
Boston Society of Film Critics Award Best New Filmmaker Won
Best Supporting Actress Amy Ryan Won
Best Acting Ensemble The entire cast Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award Best Supporting Actress Amy Ryan Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Award Best Supporting Actress Nominated
Most Promising Filmmaker Ben Affleck Won
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award Best Supporting Actress Amy Ryan Nominated
Detroit Film Critics Society Award Best Supporting Actress Nominated
Florida Film Critics Circle Award Best Supporting Actress Won
Golden Globe Award Best Supporting Actress Nominated
Hollywood Film Festival Award Breakthrough Director of the Year Ben Affleck Won
Houston Film Critics Association Award Best Supporting Actress Amy Ryan Won
Houston Film Critics Society Award Best Actor Casey Affleck Nominated
Irish Film & Television Award Best International Actor Nominated
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award Best Supporting Actress Amy Ryan Won
National Board of Review Award Best Supporting Actress Won
Best Directorial Debut Ben Affleck Won
National Society of Film Critics Award Best Supporting Actress Amy Ryan Nominated
New York Film Critics Circle Award Best Supporting Actress Won
Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Award Best Supporting Actress Won
Best Feature Film Ben Affleck Won
Online Film Critics Association Award Best Supporting Actress Amy Ryan Nominated
Online Film Critics Society Award Best Breakthrough Filmmaker Ben Affleck Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Amy Ryan Won
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award Best Supporting Actress Won
Prism Award Best Performance in a Feature Film Casey Affleck Won
San Diego Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actress Amy Ryan Won
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award Best Supporting Actress Won
Satellite Award Best Supporting Actress Won
Screen Actors Guild Award Best Supporting Actress Nominated
Southeastern Film Critics Association Award Best Supporting Actress Won
St. Louis Gateway Critics Award Best Supporting Actress Won
Toronto Film Critics Association Award Best Supporting Actress Nominated
Utah Film Critics Award Best Supporting Actress Won
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award Best Supporting Actress Won

Home media

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on February 12, 2008. Extras include an audio commentary by Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard, deleted scenes, and two behind-the-scenes featurettes. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Australia on September 10, 2008, in which the ending depicts Monaghan's character imploring Affleck's character to return the child to her biological mother.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack to Gone Baby Gone was released on October 16, 2007.

No.TitleArtistLength
1."Opening Titles"Harry Gregson-Williams2:56
2."Media Circus"Harry Gregson-Williams2:05
3."Amanda Taken"Harry Gregson-Williams1:36
4."Helena & Cheese"Harry Gregson-Williams1:40
5."Lionel"Harry Gregson-Williams1:32
6."Remy Lies"Harry Gregson-Williams2:32
7."Ransom"Harry Gregson-Williams6:42
8."3 Shots"Harry Gregson-Williams3:27
9."The Truth"Harry Gregson-Williams3:56
10."Confronting Doyle"Harry Gregson-Williams3:57
11."Gone Baby Gone"Harry Gregson-Williams4:51
Total length:34:54[13]
gollark: Er, the holidays.
gollark: It's consistent.
gollark: 31/10 sensible date system.
gollark: On Halloween.
gollark: But ratios!

References
  1. "Gone Baby Gone (2007) – Box Office Mojo".
  2. "Here, here! — With crime thriller 'Gone Baby Gone,' Ben Affleck returns home and captures Boston in all its gritty glory". Boston Globe. October 17, 2007.
  3. "The cruellest crime of all". June 8, 2008.
  4. "Gone Baby Gone – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 2015-08-17. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
  5. "Gone Baby Gone (2007): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
  6. "Gone Baby Gone: Review: Rolling Stone". 2007-10-19. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  7. Lumenick, Lou (2007-10-19). "Ben Flair, Done That". New York Post. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  8. Keefe, Patrick Radden (2007-10-23). "Ben Affleck's Boston: His portrait of the city is far from perfect — but at least it's not wicked bad". Slate.
  9. Grunberg, Arnon (2008-01-12). "Home is where they'd kill for you". Vrij Nederland (in Dutch). pp. 68–71. Ben Affleck filmed Gone Baby Gone, based on the book by thriller author Dennis Lehane about the kidnapping of a child. The Book is good, but the movie is better.
  10. "Metacritic: 2007 Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2008-01-02. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
  11. "CriticsTop10".
  12. David Germain; Christy Lemire (2007-12-27). "'No Country for Old Men' earns nod from AP critics". Associated Press, via Columbia Daily Tribune. Archived from the original on 2008-01-03. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
  13. Gone Baby Gone Soundtrack TheOST. Retrieved January 13, 2014
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