Director: Ben Affleck
Running time: 110 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15
Watched on Sky+ Saturday 4th July 2009.
PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.
This was Ben Affleck’s directorial debut, and as such, it’s a pretty good effort. He was also one of the screenwriters, along with Aaron Stockard, for this adaptation of the Dennis Lehane novel.
The setting is Dorchester, one of the toughest neighbourhoods of Boston. The story centres around the disappearance of four year old Amanda McCready and how this event affects the lives of those involved in the investigation. Private detective Patrick Kenzie and his associate Angie Gennaro are brought in by Amanda’s aunt, Bea McCready three days after her disappearance. Amanda’s mother, Helene McCready, is a drug addict who seems to care little for her child. Kenzie and Gennaro have the cooperation of the police in the guise of detectives Remy Bressant and Nick Poole and captain Jack Doyle. There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot that culminate in the death of Amanda and this is where the story gets interesting…
Great performances from Casey Affleck as Patrick Kenzie and Michelle Monaghan as Angie Gennaro. Morgan Freeman, as ever, was great as Jack Doyle, but I think the best performances came from Ed Harris as Remy Bressant and Amy Ryan as Helene McCready. Honourable mentions go to John Ashton as Nick Poole, Amy Madigan as Bea McCready and Titus Welliver as Lionel McCready, Bea’s husband.
Beautifully shot and well directed, this film has a lot going for it. The only thing that let it down for me was, at times, I tended to lose the thread of the plot, maybe because I found it a little slow paced. A film that will make you think and one that will stay in my memory for some time.
My score: 7.5/10
Running time: 110 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15
Watched on Sky+ Saturday 4th July 2009.
PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.
This was Ben Affleck’s directorial debut, and as such, it’s a pretty good effort. He was also one of the screenwriters, along with Aaron Stockard, for this adaptation of the Dennis Lehane novel.
The setting is Dorchester, one of the toughest neighbourhoods of Boston. The story centres around the disappearance of four year old Amanda McCready and how this event affects the lives of those involved in the investigation. Private detective Patrick Kenzie and his associate Angie Gennaro are brought in by Amanda’s aunt, Bea McCready three days after her disappearance. Amanda’s mother, Helene McCready, is a drug addict who seems to care little for her child. Kenzie and Gennaro have the cooperation of the police in the guise of detectives Remy Bressant and Nick Poole and captain Jack Doyle. There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot that culminate in the death of Amanda and this is where the story gets interesting…
Great performances from Casey Affleck as Patrick Kenzie and Michelle Monaghan as Angie Gennaro. Morgan Freeman, as ever, was great as Jack Doyle, but I think the best performances came from Ed Harris as Remy Bressant and Amy Ryan as Helene McCready. Honourable mentions go to John Ashton as Nick Poole, Amy Madigan as Bea McCready and Titus Welliver as Lionel McCready, Bea’s husband.
Beautifully shot and well directed, this film has a lot going for it. The only thing that let it down for me was, at times, I tended to lose the thread of the plot, maybe because I found it a little slow paced. A film that will make you think and one that will stay in my memory for some time.
My score: 7.5/10
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