Ben Affleck came into the limelight at a fairly young age. After an Oscar win for writing “Good Will Hunting,” he tried his hand at directing with “Gone Baby Gone.” He co-wrote its screenplay with Aaron Stockard based on Dennis Lehane’s1998 novel of the same name. Despite being his feature directorial debut, it received a largely positive response, with special praise for Amy Ryan’s arresting performance. Through its neo-noir crime thriller set-up, it explored what it means to be a parent, a mother, and an investigator. Due to its success, we saw another side of Affleck’s creative mind.
Spoilers Ahead
Gone Baby Gone (2007) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Set in Boston, “Gone Baby Gone” revolves around two private investigators looking for a missing young girl of a single mother. As they proceed with the investigation, they discover things that deeply affect their lives.
What is ‘Gone Baby Gone’ about?
“Gone Baby Gone” follows Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and his girlfriend, Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan), two private investigators from Dorchester, Boston, as they investigate the case of a missing four-year-old girl, Amanda. They watch the televised news where Amanda’s single mother, Helene McCready (Amy Ryan), pleads to help her reunite with her daughter. Soon after, Amanda’s aunt, Beatrice (Amy Madigan) and her uncle, Lionel (Titus Welliver) meet Patrick & Angie and hire them for the case. Despite Angie’s hesitation, Beatrice convinces them to help.
Patrick & Angie show up at their house to ask Helene some questions. They cross paths with Captain Jack Doyle (Morgan Freeman), who doesn’t care much for their contribution to the case. So, the duo asks around the town to learn about Helene’s drug addiction and her boyfriend, Ray. He was her partner in running drugs for a local drug lord, Jean Baptiste, aka ‘Cheese’ (Edi Gathegi). Together, Helene & Ray stole $1,30,000 from Cheese. After Amanda went missing, the cops found Ray dead in his house. So, they believe Cheese kidnapped Amanda to get back his stolen money.
Is Cheese responsible for Amanda’s disappearance?
Patrick & Angie share the details of their investigation with Detective Sergeant Remy Bressant (Ed Harris) & Detective Nick Poole (John Ashton). Helene reveals the bag of money buried in Ray’s backyard. After getting hold of the stolen money, Patrick & Angie set up a meeting with Cheese to offer it in exchange for Amanda. But Cheese claims he has never kidnapped Amanda. Remy blames Patrick for ruining their chance of finding the child. The next day, Captain Doyle reads them a transcript of Cheese’s telephone call, in which he agrees to offer Amanda in exchange for the money.
During the exchange, they suddenly find themselves in the middle of a gunfight that kills Cheese. Angie notices a small figure fall in the water. She jumps down, thinking it is Amanda, but finds only her doll. While the authorities keep trying to locate Amanda, Doyle takes an early retirement with a lesser pension as a gesture for his department’s failure. Even though no one is blamed for Amanda’s loss, Angie takes it to heart. Two months later, a seven-year-old boy, Johnny Pietro, goes missing in a nearby location.
Who abducted Johnny Pietro?
Despite Johnny’s disappearance, none of his relatives came to Patrick & Angie for their help. However, Patrick’s friend, Bubba Rogowski (Slaine), suspects the kid is at the house of a drug-addict couple, Leon Trett (Mark Margolis) and his wife, Roberta. They work with Corwin Earle (Matthew Maher), a recently work-released serial molester. So, Patrick agrees to sneak into the house with Bubba. Inside, he notices a sign of Johnny’s presence. So, he calls Remy and Nick to help rescue the kid at night. During their attempt, Roberts kills Nick & her husband.
Patrick walks in and enters Leon’s room to find Johnny’s dead body lying in the bathtub. So, Patrick kills molester Leon, and Remy kills Roberta. The next evening, Remy tries to help Patrick relieve his guilt. He talks about a case where he planted evidence to save a child from his abusive father. In his drunken state, Remy ends up admitting to taking Ray’s help. Patrick realizes Remy lied before about not knowing Ray. So, he speaks with narcotics officer Devin Amronklin (Michael K. Williams) about Remy’s history in his department. Devin reveals Remy left because of bad habits.
Gone Baby Gone (2007) Movie Ending Explained:
What does Patrick learn about Remy Bressant?
During their meeting, Patrick tells Devin that Remy lied to him and asks about Remy’s questionable history. Devin reveals Remy knew about Cheese’s stolen money weeks before Cheese did. Later, Patrick asks Lionel to meet him at a bar to test his theory. He thinks Lionel is hiding something from them. Lionel admits that, in the past, Remy helped him get out of a case of a bar brawl. Later, Lionel heard Helene talking about Cheese’s stolen money. So, he planned to take Amanda away from Helene due to her irresponsible parenting.
With Remy’s help, Lionel blackmailed Helene and kept her drug money to teach her a lesson. To cover up their deal, Lionel tries to stop Beatrice from her pursuit of Amanda. Eventually, he and Remy set up a fake exchange at the quarry for Patrick & Angie to witness. At the time, Lionel brought Amanda with him. But Cheese realized what was happening and started shooting. In that state of panic, Remy killed Cheese, whereas Amanda started running and fell into the water. After that, Lionel believed she got lost.
What was Remy Bressant hiding from Patrick?
Detective Remy Bressant hid his plan to help Lionel blackmail Helene for her stolen money. During Patrick’s meeting with Lionel in the bar, Remy shows up with a mask and stages a robbery. Lionel realizes he is Remy and starts yelling, ‘Remy kidnapped Amanda.’ Then, the bartender shoots Remy as he takes off his mask. So, Remy rushes out, and Patrick follows him. Then, he questions Remy about killing Amanda. Remy takes his last breath, saying that he loves and cares for children. But he doesn’t share any specific details about Amanda.
Where was Amanda, and who kidnapped her?
At the station, Patrick learns that the police do not keep transcripts of their calls. So, he realizes that Doyle lied to him. He & Angie show up at Doyle’s house, and Amanda is alive. Since the cat’s out of the bag, Doyle admits he was a part of Remy’s kidnapping plan. He helped Remy set up the fake exchange plan and took Amanda with him in order to protect her from her mother. Patrick understands that Doyle also wanted to fill the gap left by his daughter, who was killed years ago. While he plans to call the authorities on Doyle, Angie feels Amanda should stay with the Doyles since they can offer her a happy childhood.
Regardless, Patrick wants to reunite Amanda with her mother. He gets Doyle arrested and helps Amanda return to Helene. The reporters gather outside her house to get her reaction. Soon after, Angie leaves Patrick and moves away. One day, Patrick agrees to babysit Amanda while Helene goes on a date. During their conversation, he realizes that Helene hasn’t changed much. In fact, she uses her newfound fame after the news coverage to find herself new partners. So, Patrick starts questioning himself whether he made a mistake by bringing Amanda back to her.
Gone Baby Gone (2007) Movie Themes Analysed:
Motherhood
“Gone Baby Gone” revolves around a mother’s plea to find her missing child. It shows her as an irresponsible drug addict who isn’t responsible as a parent even though she loves the kid. However, it shows Beatrice and Mrs. Doyle as other mother figures who are far more responsible, caring, and trustworthy. At the end of the film, it makes us consider these multiple shades of motherhood and question our ideas about an ideal mother. It shows Angie & Patrick having a difference of opinion on these matters as they decide a child’s future.
Parenting
“Gone Baby Gone” explores different aspects of parenthood. Jack Doyle and his wife give us a glimpse into the life of parents mourning their child’s loss. On the other hand, Helene is presented as an irresponsible parent, incapable of raising a child. While they grapple with their worries, others decide who is more or who is less suitable to be a parent. Through their contemplation, the film makes us consider what it means to be a parent.
Read More: All Ben Affleck Movies Ranked
Trailer:
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