Monday, November 17, 2008

Gone Baby Gone: A movie on moral dillemma

Title: Gone Baby Gone

Director: Ben Affleck

Writer: Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard (Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane)

Cast:

  • Casey Affleck-Patrick Kenzie
  • Michelle Monaghan-Angie Gennaro
  • Morgan Freeman-Capt. Jack Doyle
  • Ed Harris-Detective Sergeant Remy Bressant
  • Amy Ryan-Helene McCready
  • John Ashton-Detective Nick Poole
  • Amy Madigan-Beatrice McCready
  • Titus Welliver-Lionel McCready
  • Mark Margolis-Leon Trett
  • Slaine- Bubba Rogowski

Synopsis: A four year old girl named Amanda McCready has been kidnapped from her house at the Dorchester district in Boston. The girl’s aunt comes to Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck), a private detective. Patrick Kenzie and his girlfriend, Angie Gennaro (played by Michelle Monaghan) work as detectives who finds out missing people. In the beginning, they did not want to take the case because Amanda was abducted but Amanda’s aunt, Beatrice McCready (Amy Madigan), persuades them. The detectives then go to Amanda’s and talks with her mother, Helene McCready, who is a drug addict. Helene and Patrick studied in the same school. The two detectives then start their search. Patrick has a rich information source. He knows people who are involved in illegal activities. He uses his connections to get information about Amanda. Their investigation leads them to a local drug runner named Cheese (Edi Gathegi). It was Cheese who kidnapped Amanda because Helene Mc Cready and her boyfriend, “Skinny Ray,” had his money. Police Captain Doyle (Morgan Freeman) shows Patrick a transcript which says that Cheese will return Amanda if they return him his money. The exchange is going to take place at a quarry in Quincy. Unfortunately, the exchange went wrong and Amanda was drowned. The case was closed.

Two month’s later, Patrick goes out with police officer Remy Bressant (Ed Harris) Nick Poole (John Ashton), who worked in Amanda’s case, to catch a child molester. The operation goes wrong and Nick dies in Patrick’s arms. He then goes into the house and finds out that the molester killed a seven year old boy who was abducted few days ago. Patrick killed the molester but he was filled with a sense of guilt. Outside the hospital, Patrick finds Bressant drunk. While talking with Patrick, Bressant told him that he knew “Skinny Ray,” Helene McCready’s boyfriend, who was killed by Cheese. This irked Patrick and he again starts his investigation. He then comes to know that everything was a set up. Remy Bressant and Helene Mc Cready’s brother, Lionel Mc Cready (Titus Welliver), set up the whole thing so that Amanda can get a good life and they end up having the money.    

Now, knowing the truth, Patrick is in a dilemma- Should he return Amanda Helene or Should Amanda stay with her new family?

Related articles:

Wikipedia

Internet Movie Data Base

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