I've never been as big a fan of Dennis Lehane's work as a lot of people, but I liked a lot of things about his series about Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro. I liked some thing about this movie, too, but one thing I really disliked, plebeian that I am, was the color. Why is it that people film movies in this washed-out color? It's probably some kind of artistic statement, but I think it pretty much sucks. Even when the sun is shining, the sun's not shining. To heck with that. I'm old. I need light. And keep off my damn lawn!But back to the movie. I liked Michelle Monaghan, who looked exactly like my idea of Angie. And while I've never been a Casey Affleck fan, I thought he did a fine job. The guy who played Lionel was on Deadwood, and he must've kept the moustache. Ed Harris has a pretty scary hairpiece, too, for that matter.
But I'm digressing again, maybe. The story's about a kidnapped child. The cops haven't found her after three days, so the family goes to Kenzie. He and Angie are reluctant to take the case, but they do, and the head cop, Morgan Freeman, assigns a couple of other cops to cooperate with them. If you've read the book, as I have, you pretty much know the rest. It's a dark story, with a few complications, but not so many that it's hard to follow.
Ben Affleck directed and worked on the screenplay, and I'd say he's redeemed himself for the Bennifer years.
6 comments:
My favorite thing about this movie is Ben Affleck thanking Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz of the Red Sox in the closing credits.
That says a lot right there.
Not having read the novel, it seemed like Angie (Michelle) was under utilized. But the actress that played Helene (Amy something) was scary as hell. I wonder how many out there would approve Patrick's actions? It did have more complexity than most movies. Did Patrick's earlier actions with the family from hell influence his actions here?
I generally liked this movie as a crime story and depiction of Boston and a culture unfamiliar to me. Angie's character and her relationship with Patrick should have been better developed, since the ending didn't have the impact it should have.
I recommend that you see Michael Clayton, a legal thriller with no courtroom scenes and more explosions than you'd expect from the trailers. I saw it last week, and enjoyed it more than Gone Baby Gone.
I think the movie was cut to keep it under 2 hours, and Monaghan's part might have originally been meatier. I want to see Michael Clayton eventually.
Michael Clayton was very good. A few plot problems but nothing to detract from your enjoyment. Loved Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton. GC sure has made good choices lately. Too bad he dropped out of White Jazz.
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