2007 was an odd year for movies. There was plenty of dreck, for sure: P.S. I Love You, Resident Evil: Extinction, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. Then there were the films that were almost impossibly over-rated and did big box office, in spite of the fact they were ultimately disappointing in terms of either drawing one in to actually care about the characters presented, or at the final turn betrayed all the ideals previously presented of their own stories: I Am Legend, No Country For Old Men, American Gangster and others. There were also the unexpected gems, which delivered more thrills, laughs and other pleasant surprises: Superbad, The Kingdom, Things We Lost in the Fire and Juno, to name a few.
Then there is Gone Baby Gone, which stands apart from all the rest. It is, in my opinion, without a doubt the best film of 2007--and it is now finally on DVD.
A quick recap: Gone Baby Gone tells the story of two youthful detectives(Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan) in Boston, who agree to take on a child abduction case. As the duo are drawn deeper into the investigation however, it soon becomes clear that not every-thing is as it seems.
The film is the surprisingly magnificent directorial debut of Casey's older brother, actor Ben Affleck. The elder Affleck's talent is raw, powerful and his choices are both incisive and informed. The film--presented in widescreen on DVD--transfers excellently to the small screen. Every shot still holds up, both technically and thematically. All the grit, grime and powerfully intense drama is captured and held on to in the digital transfer.
Aside from the brilliant story itself, there are surprisingly few extras on the DVD. The reason for this might be that the movie, shot for a relatively low budget of $19 million, made just over $20 million worldwide. Since it was obviously not a box office success, perhaps Miramax anticipated low sales of the DVD, and felt it would be a waste to put any real effort into it. It's a shame, because there is so much depth to the film, that any additional info would have been much appreciated.
Regardless, there are the standard deleted scenes--including an extended opening and coda. These scenes really don't add much to the picture, and one can see the wisdom in Ben Affleck's decision to excise them from the final cut. There are behind the scenes stories about Affleck and writer Aaron Stockard(like the Affleck boys, a Boston native) as they return home to scout the old neighborhoods for settings, and cast their film. An interesting reveal is that many of the supporting cast and extras are real Boston natives who were picked out personally by director Affleck to lend authenticity to the film. The choice completely works on every level.
The best extra on the disc itself is the audio commentary by Affleck and Stockard. It's very personally revealing, especially for Affleck. He comes off as a genuinely humble man, who truly enjoyed the experi-ence of directing his first feature, and is rightfully proud of it. Affleck is very self-effacing, almost to the point where one feels sorry for him as he points out what he deems flaws in certain shots...including a very funny and unintentional cameo he made in the film, which he was unaware of until he had reached the point of making final edits. What Affleck doesn't mention is that he is more keenly aware of what lends credence and believability to a story than many directors and cinema-tographers with twice his age and experience--evident in a single comment he makes about why he chose not to have a street slicked down in one night shot. It's an insightful revelation, and one can't help but consider that if a film such as this is his directing debut, where can he possibly go from here?
It's a shame that Miramax didn't put more effort into the specials on the DVD, because if indeed they anticipate slower sales, I think that ultimately they'll be proven wrong. Like the last DVD I reviewed here, Blade Runner, I honestly believe that Gone Baby Gone will eventually be discovered by fans more and more over the coming years. It is a movie that will stand the test of time, and will garner quite a following. It's certainly worth adding to your DVD collection, and I have no doubt whatsoever that you won't be disappointed in the slightest.
Official Archives for LanceReviews...
DVD Review: Gone Baby Gone
Something satisfying to own, rather than giving cash to the Box Office Overlords...
Gone Baby Gone: The best movie of 2007 finally comes to DVD.
Casey Affleck turns in a truly brilliant performance as a youthful detective who might be in over his head.
Gone Baby Gone: A brilliant cast brings a great story to life.
NOTE: I don't usually do DVD reviews of films I've already talked about. But since Gone Baby Gone was the best film of 2007 and truly deserves more attention, I decided to go for it. This will now be the standing rule each year for the top film on my "Best of..." list.
