Gone Baby Gone

Ben Affleck gets a bad rap, though a good portion of it is his fault. He's a good actor when he chooses to be, but too often he prefers to mug uncontrollably to unamusing effect. I bring this up because I'm sure many people will dismiss this film outright because it is Ben's directorial debut, and they will associate his countless bad acting roles with this film. Based on the trailer, I don't think that is a wise move. "Gone Baby Gone" actually looks pretty good. Casey Affleck (Ben's underappreciated, more-talented younger brother) plays a neighborhood man who starts investigating the disappearance of a small child. Either helping or hindering him is Morgan Freeman (the trailer doesn't make it very clear if he's a protagonist or antagonist) as a local police officer. Ed Harris also stars as another officer, and his role seems more antagonistic. I think.

One of the best elements of the trailer is that it shows us a lot of footage, yet doesn't give much away about the plot. That's so refreshing to see these days. Also a surprise is the inclusion of actor John Ashton (Taggert from "Beverly Hills Cop"), who hasn't been seen much recently. Michelle Monaghan is the love interest, and she is rapidly becoming one of my favorite actresses.

All in all, I'm really looking forward to this. Hopefully the marketing department will play down Affleck's role, since his name might be more of a repellent than a draw these days.