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Cherry Pop

'Gone Baby Gone' (Blu-Ray)
(Casey Affleck, Morgan Freeman, et al / Blu-Ray / NR / (2007) 2008 / Miramax)

Overview: When two young private detectives (Casey Affleck (GOOD WILL HUNTING) and Michelle Monaghan MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III) 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.

DVD Verdict: When a young girl is taken from her home in broad daylight, a young private detective is her only defense against the child-kidnapping statistics. To get her alive, she must be found almost immediately and the clock has already been ticking. The detective, an unlikely toughguy, is getting little help from the police and no help at all from the girl's mother. He will have to face many physical and moral conflicts if he hopes to find her.

"Gone" was a hard film to watch and it's one that will have you debating the merits of the decision with your family and friends for days to come. That's the true mark of a really good film--how well it stays with you. This one's a must for collectors of strong mysteries.

Amy Ryan was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her role as the missing child's uncooperative mother. She was great, and her performance is worth seeing if you like to catch up on the Oscar nods.

Ben Affleck did an amazing job directing this thriller-morality play by Dennis Lehane. For the most part, he was spot on with his timing. Standouts were younger brother Casey as Kenzie and of course Ed Harris as Bressart (in a reprise of his true believer type role in "The Rock") and Morgan Freeman as Doyle. I genuinely believe at least two of the three of these actors should be nominated for an Academy Award for their performances.

The story is almost classic pulp in the way it had some over-the-top dialogue and a quickened pace. It moves along very fluidly and I never had that "check my watch and see how much is left" itch.

The cast is uniformly excellent, from the smallest roles to the most major ones. It is difficult to single out any performer for praise as this is truly an ensemble piece. The flavor of the film is honest, unflinching, and refuses to ignore the grotesque incidents that must be shown for the movie to maintain its impact. Writer Dennis Lahane ('Mystic River', 'Shutter Island') is a master of detailing the spectrum of responses that ugly matters induce: even the most noble of intentions have their shadowy side. Affleck finds all of this in this excellent film, a film so strong that it easily bears repeated viewings.

"Gone" was a great story and one that leaves watchers tangled up in the same moral dilemmas the characters faced. I enjoyed the puzzles the plot created and how they were put together. Some performances weren't the best, but Amy Ryan was very deserving of the Oscar nomination she received for this part and maybe you should see it just to judge for yourself if she should have won, if nothing else.

Miramax brings 'Gone Baby Gone' to Blu-Ray under the Buena Vista umbrella in a 1.85:1, 1080p transfer that's very evocative of the theatrical experience. Grain, ever present, has a tendency to spike in low-lit scenes, which I still say is preferable to it being filtered out altogether. This is all rounded out with the Special Features of:

Alternate Extended Ending
Deleted Scenes (windowboxed 480i)
2 Featurettes - ‘Going Home: Behind the Scenes with Ben Affleck’ and ‘Capturing Authenticity: Casting Gone Baby Gone’ (both 1080i)
Audio Commentary by Ben Affleck and Co-Writer Aaron Stockard

www.Miramax.com

Blu-ray, also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD), is the name of a next-generation optical disc format jointly developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), a group of the world's leading consumer electronics, personal computer and media manufacturers.

www.blu-ray.com





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