BEN Affleck might be much maligned, but he makes a far more than credible directing debut with “Gone Baby Gone,” a twisty, morally am biguous and satisfying neo-noir derived from a Dennis Lehane novel. Films directed by actors tend to focus on the actors – and that’s certainly the case with this one. But Affleck is no slouch in the storytelling department, and he certainly knows his way around his native Boston.
Ben’s baby-faced brother, Casey (showcased to lesser effect as killer Bob Ford in “The Assassination of Jesse James”), leads a strong ensemble in a star-making performance as Patrick, a two-bit gumshoe who is hired by the aunt (Amy Madigan) of a missing 4-year-old girl.
Patrick’s longtime partner and girlfriend Angie (Michelle Monaghan) isn’t crazy about the idea; their expertise is in tracking down debtors, not little girls.
The police chief and a pair of cynical, hardened detectives (Ed Harris and John Ashton) reluctantly share their leads in the case, all the while condescending to the junior sleuths.
But Patrick knows the mean streets and bars of the working-class Dorchester neighborhood. He susses out a connection between the missing child, her substance-abusing, promiscuous single mother (Amy Ryan) and a missing drug shipment.
Suspense builds up to a bungled ransom attempt that seems to be the end of the story after just one hour.
But like any good noir hero, Patrick won’t rest until the culprits – which could include a child molester and some dirty cops – are apprehended.
A good deal of blood is shed – including some of Patrick’s – as the flick goes to some very dark places, both literally and metaphorically.
Director Affleck has a solid visual style and an effectively offbeat sense of casting. The little-known Ryan and Ashton, best known for the “Beverly Hills Cop” movies, are especially good, as is Titus Welliver as the missing child’s uncle.
Rescued from a run of saintly roles, Morgan Freeman plays a police chief with questionable motives. That’s to Affleck’s credit, as is the fact that he tightly reins in performers who might be tempted to go over the top.
This was definitely not the case with Clint Eastwood’s “Mystic River,” which was also adapted from a Lehane novel about a missing youngster. Even the Boston-set “The Departed” would have benefited from some restraint on Jack Nicholson’s part.
For all of Affleck’s skill, he can’t entirely put over a credulity-straining ending that probably worked better on the printed page. At the same time, the deeply disturbing windup of “Gone Baby Gone” is a real talker. And that’s not something you can say about many movies these days.
GONE BABY GONE
Running time: 115 minutes. Rated R (violence, drugs, profanity). At the Empire, the Lincoln Square, the 72nd Street East, others.