Gone Baby Gone Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

Gone Baby Gone Blu-ray Movie Review

This poignant and disturbing film will never be "gone" from my collection.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 13, 2008

You are sheep among wolves. Be wise as serpents, yet innocent as doves.

I found Gone Baby Gone to be a film that actually lived up to the tremendous hype and Oscar buzz surrounding it. Simply put, there is an excellent picture to be seen here. The story is absolutely first-rate, as is the acting and direction. And therein lies what may be the film's only weakness. Perhaps the movie is just too darn gritty, scary, and real. Gone Baby Gone is extremely bleak, looking at the very worst face humanity as a whole can put forward, and the viewer is repeatedly hit with the filth and sickness that unfortunately plagues the world, ranging from excessive foul language to good people doing the unthinkable in the name of their own brand of justice and righteousness. Despite being a fan of dark cinema, Gone Baby Gone is perhaps the bleakest "serious" film I've seen. Its ending comes unexpectedly, and it tears the characters and the viewer apart emotionally.

When your script calls for a young George Clooney, Casey Affleck is your man.

Describing the film any further than providing the most basic of details would simply be a disservice to first time viewers. The basic story outline features Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) portraying Patrick, a Boston private investigator hired along with his girlfriend Angie (Michelle Monaghan, Mission: Impossible III) to "augment the investigation" of a missing child named Amanda. She's been gone for three days and her story saturates the airwaves. Police Captain Jack Doyle (Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby) leads a special police unit focusing on missing children. His child was once abducted and murdered and he has vowed to make sure that no other parent must suffer as he has. As the story progresses, each character, including several of import not mentioned here, reveal darker sides to themselves, each becoming something other than what they seem, and each with motivations that are both heartfelt and shocking, seemingly taking the old notion of "two wrongs make a right" to heart.

Gone Baby Gone showcases some of the finest acting this side of Training Day and Sling Blade. The chemistry between Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan is remarkable. These two offer a high caliber performance, a degree of realism rivaling that of historically great parings such as Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in 1949's Adam's Rib or Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn in 1953's Roman Holiday. In fact, everyone in the cast-- from award winners Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, and Amy Ryan (who has been nominated for a best supporting actress for her role as Amanda's mother) to even the characters with minimal screen time--are uniformly excellent. Director Ben Affleck, at the helm for his first major motion picture, certainly seems to have the craft down to a science. Not only is this film incredibly detailed in its direction with excellent shot following excellent shot, but is also offers a finely tuned and taut narrative with nary a lapse in pace. He's squeezed every ounce of talent from his actors, and then wrung out a bit more for good measure. Ben Affleck has always been entertaining in front of the camera, but if his next directorial effort is as outstanding as this one, I'd say it's time for a full time career shift.

Gone Baby Gone is a fascinating narrative as there are two acts in the film, each with a beginning, middle, and climax, yet both halves continue the same story line. The dividing line is obvious, as is the bookend to the first half, and I found this angle refreshing in spirit and an excellent way to cap an angry and frightening climax witnessed halfway through the film. Gone Baby Gone is one of the most emotionally charged films I've ever seen, and it invokes a broad array of feelings inside the viewer. There were times when I wanted to cry, when I wanted to shut the movie off, when I wanted to strangle some of the characters, and when I felt a two-ton weight lifting off my shoulders in relief during the more intense plot points in the film. This is definitely a thinking man's movie, and it raises some serious questions about the division that separates those with differing opinions on the subject the movie tackles. Sadly, it seems that there is news of a new high-profile abduction case in the United States every week, and Gone Baby Gone tackles the subject in an entirely new and disturbing way that makes the audience wonder just who they can trust in the law, in the town, or in the home.

Gone Baby Gone Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Disney's 1.85:1, 1080p transfer of Gone Baby Gone to Blu-ray disc can easily be labeled as "top tier." The most evident aspect of the image is the generally fine, sometimes extreme layer of grain that is present throughout the entirety of the film. Some scenes, especially those taking place at night or in very dark locales, become saturated with high levels of grain, but remembering that grain is inherent to film stock, it should not be considered a major flaw. I'll admit that when it gets excessive it's extremely noticeable, but this is such a strong and fine transfer that even if this could be considered a "flaw," it' relatively minor in the grand scheme of things.

Speaking of the quality of this transfer, Gone Baby Gone on Blu-ray may sport the most natural and film-like presentation yet on Blu-ray. This title may be the closest to a theater-quality projection I've ever seen on home video. I was grinning from ear to ear at the beginning of the film, awestruck, and feeling like I had finally achieved the goal of seeing top- notch theatrical projection images at home. There is an absolutely incredible amount of depth, clarity, and crispness to every frame. From distance shots of signs and buildings to close-ups of faces and the patches on the police uniforms, everything is as clear and detailed as real life. A scene at a cemetery offers especially stunning clarity. The green of the foliage in natural lighting is captivating, and had I not known otherwise, I might have been tricked into believing I was actually in attendance. Many scenes appear to be lit with mostly natural light, and as such, we see a very realistic image whose reproduction might only be matched only by pristine 35 mm prints theatrically, or with our own eyes, seeing what is being captured on film in real life. Color reproduction is excellent, as are flesh tones, both coming off as natural and vibrant. Black levels are also excellent. This is a remarkable transfer, and the only issue some people might have with it is the sometimes excessive and seemingly uneven distribution and amount of grain in any given scene. Otherwise, Disney has another first-rate transfer here, and it proved to be one of the most satisfying visual feasts for the eyes yet on Blu- ray.

Gone Baby Gone Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Disney, a.k.a. "Old Reliable," provides us with yet another uncompressed PCM 5.1 soundtrack, satisfying the commitment to providing the best high definition content on the best high definition format currently available. Gone Baby Gone features a crisp, palatable soundtrack that is pleasing on the ears and easy on the speakers, but also is not afraid to jump out and slam the viewer in the chest during a few critical scenes throughout the movie. While the film is mostly dialogue-driven with good yet slightly underwhelming ambience and a never overbearing score, the really dynamic parts of the soundtrack come out of hiding in chapter ten in the form of a hail of gunfire, startling both me and my speakers. The shots ring loud, deep, and true, sounding nearly as good as the excellent reproduction of gunfire in 3:10 to Yuma. The scene is horrific both visually and mentally, and the authority and realism reproduced here is downright horrific, one mark of an excellent track. Deep bass is also evident here and there, especially in a few scenes employing hip-hop music, and the subwoofer rumbles with vigor. Dialogue reproduction is excellent. It's presented at an acceptable and expected volume in comparison to the rest of the track and is never muffled or drowned out when it shouldn't be. Surrounds are employed somewhere between sparingly and adequately, perhaps coming up a tad short in creating a wholly believable atmosphere, but for the most part, this is a top notch soundtrack.

Gone Baby Gone Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Some movies don't necessarily lend themselves well to supplements, and I would argue that Gone Baby Gone is one of them. As an extremely thought-provoking film, I feel it is best left to the viewer to piece together what they've just witnessed rather than be force-fed every detail about the film in some jam-packed supplemental bazaar. Thankfully, these supplements don't offer an over-abundance of material, but what we do get is mostly informative for the interested viewer.

First up is a commentary track with writer/director Ben Affleck and co-writer Aaron Stockard. Affleck comes off as a little reserved but does present some thought-provoking details behind the film, along with discussions about how he handled certain scenes, what motivations characters would have on a scene-by scene basis, and how he approached the film's unexpected reveal at the end. There is also a lot of dry tech-talk moments as well as quite a bit of dead air. Nevertheless, this one is worth a listen for those looking for a mix of behind-the scenes stories, technical details, and personal stories behind the making of the movie.

Next up is Going Home: Behind the Scenes With Ben Affleck (1080i, 7:03). This feature contains interviews with author Dennis Lehane, whose novel is the inspiration for this film. He, Affleck, and some of the crew discuss working together to bring the film from the pages of the novel to celluloid. Affleck also discusses his reason for staying behind the camera for this project, and the cast explains why they enjoyed working with Affleck in his new role. Finally, the cast and crew discuss the subtext of protecting the lives of children in society. Capturing Authenticity: Casting 'Gone Baby Gone' (1080i, 8:57) is, obviously, a look at the casting from the primaries to the extras and why each actor fits the role of each character so well. Finally, six deleted scenes (480p, 17:05) with optional commentary by Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard conclude the supplements.

Gone Baby Gone Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

One mark of an excellent film is the absolute believability of the story and the characters, regardless of locale, time, or subject. Gone Baby Gone excels as a character study, examining not only an individual but society as a whole and the motivations of both those with the best and worst of intentions. I'm reminded of the old Scottish poem by Robert Burns that was later the inspiration of the title of the famous John Steinbeck novel that says, "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry." I think that line captures the theme of this film perfectly, and once you've seen it, you'll understand. Disney has once again provided a Blu-ray of the utmost quality, delivering this important film with stellar, film-like quality and a soundtrack that isn't reference material, but handles everything thrown at it with both power and grace. While a bit on the short side, the supplements are nevertheless informative and entertaining. Gone Baby Gone comes highly recommended.