Gone Baby Gone

Quote for the day:
“As much as we complain about having too much to do, most of us harbor some pride that we are in such demand.”
--Barbara Brown Taylor

Quote for the day no. 2:
“Perhaps because sci-fi has become an excuse for wretched excess and bombast in today’s movie culture, ‘Blade Runner: The Final Cut’ plays better now than ever.”
--Terry Lawson, today’s “Detroit Free Press”

Much more than other films, “Gone Baby Gone” bears the distinct imprint of its maker’s personality. It was directed and co-written by Ben Affleck.

Of course, every film is somehow a reflection of its writer’s and director’s personality. But in “Gone Baby Gone,” it seemed to me that Affleck was about as close to being onscreen as he could be without actually being there.

I don’t think it was because the star is his brother, Casey. I do think it is because Ben Affleck is so intense, opinionated and hyper.

Also, the very sensitive subject matter of the film would naturally bring emotions to the surface. When this happens outside of a filmmaking environment, there is usually someone in the room who reacts and speaks with passion and sincere “righteousness.” He or she may even begin to “preach” to everyone else.

In the making of this film, I suspect that Affleck was that person in the room, and he was the guy in charge.

I generally enjoyed “Gone Baby Gone,” and there are many fine scenes and performances in it. But I found it a bit heavy-handed.

At the movie’s core is a moral decision. The intent seems to be to paint the decision as coming from a grey area--the situations presented are neither pure good nor pure evil.

To make this work calls for some significant nuance. For whatever reason, Affleck simply has not brought that nuance to the screen.