Film:

Extras:

( Max score: 100 )

83

When two young private detectives (Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan) are hired to take a closer look into the mysterious disappearance of a little girl, they soon unravel a multitude of twists and turns where nothing is what it seems. Ultimately they must risk everything - their relationship, their sanity, and even their lives - in the search to find her.

Gone baby gone is a gripping film in that it portrays the abduction of a young child. Within the scope of the investigation that follows lies several layers that spin a web of deceit, malfeasance, and abuse that will leave you shaking your head. I didn’t read Dennis Lehane’s book and did not see this film theatrically. I have heard a number of people rave about the book so this review came to me with great interest. The story at times seemed to branch off in directions that left me trying to figure out the association with the original scenario (the abduction of the little girl) however things seemed to come back full circle and provide the answers. Ben Affleck in his directorial debut did a fine job with the film’s pacing. He painted an excellent visual element of Boston’s Dorchester section, it’s people and life there. This had a definite impact on the acceptance and believability of the film and it characters.

As the film unfolds and the layers of it’s story are peeled away the true nature of what happened is revealed. The film’s protagonist is left in a quandary with a very interesting decision to make. There are times where doing the right thing comes at a price. Gone baby Gone provides a thought provoking look at just such an occasion and will leave you with something to ponder. I know what I would have done….

The R rating is for pervasive language, violence and drug content. This is not one for younger viewers.

REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65

(Each paw rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 paws per category)

Dynamics:

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The Dolby Digital 5.1 surround mix presented here was quite good. It wasn’t the most enveloping surround mix however it made up for that with excellent dynamics and superb overall detail crisp sonics. There are several gun fire exchanges in the film which came across with potent realism. The score primarily was the only use of the LFE channel and other than ambience detail the surrounds were fairly quiet. The latter is certainly not a complaint as I was very satisfied with this audio presentation.

(Each paw rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 paws per category)

Resolution/Clarity:

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Compression:

The 1.85:1 anamorphic video was solid and consistent throughout. From a resolution perspective this was not the sharpest however it provided respectable detail in Boston cityscapes and in the many close up shots of the actors and building interiors. Colors were natural and maintained a more subdued color palette which struck a great balance with the subject matter. Blacks were slightly crushed but looked really deep while shadow detail was excellent overall. This one should look good on larger displays as well smaller ones.

The bonus features offered on this single disc edition were above average but not by much. I gave it that rating because of the quality of content. The two features were about the same length and provided some decent insights on the casting and overall production of the film. Interviews with cast and production team were scattered throughout and were interesting. The commentaries were standard fare and didn’t offer much more than the features. I can’t comment on the extended ending as I didn’t see the theatrical version and there was no option to see both. The deleted scenes presented really didn’t provide anything useful to the film and were probably appropriately cut.

Gone Baby Gone is an entertaining film that will elicit some powerful emotions. It deals with subject matter that everyone will have definite feeling about. It‘s ending will leave you wondering why? Recommended.

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