Well, the murders were only to cover their asses out of fear of getting caught, and I’m sure they rationalized it easily since who was going to miss a pair of scumbags like that anyway?
I’m trying to think of a genuinely more satisfying movie I’ve seen this year and am coming up with few other titles. I found it better than Mystic River, which tended to be a bit OTT (even though it had some exquisite performances). Between this and Jesse James, this is indeed Casey Affleck’s year–he is terrific, as is his brother, who manages to handle the story deftly and without a lot of showy excesses. It’s a lean, taut, very engaging thriller and I was very impressed.
I agree with you- the film sucked, and Casey Affleck is unconvincing as anything but his Ocean’s 11 type mildly retarded teen character- this’ll be true even when he’s 50.
Ebert recent illness is obviously affecting his brain as he is quoted in the reviews as calling this “a perfect movie”- wouldn’t a perfect movie rate four out of four stars, instead of three and a half? This film was as lame as Mystic River (big surprise)- both using the dreaded scourge of child abuse/murder to garner attention, both using ridiculous coincidences or actions that Ebert types eat up like it was a pork and bacon hoagie with extra butter and mayo.
I saw it last week and thought it was pretty good. I found the twist ending rather predictable – you know the damn kid is still alive since there was no body. And the ethical arguments between Casey Affleck and Morgan Freeman went around and around for too damn long. Stop having a civilized debate and move the plot along, god dammit.
Other than those minor complaints, I thought it was excellent.
Also, it will win the Academy Award for Best Moustache.
You are the first person I’ve come across that agrees with me!! The two people that I went to the movie with have both been astounded by all the positivity surrounding this film.
I saw it a 2nd time and it was just as interesting and intense. Knowing what the outcome was didn’t affect the viewing at all, in fact it was fascinating watching the characters in a new light and fascinating too catching looks, glances and bits of dialogue that passed me by the first time.
Yes, definitely one of the year’s best films. Obviously not for everybody, but what is? A second viewing convinced me even more that Casey Affleck deserves an Academy Award nomination for this. I don’t expect it to happen, but he would deseve it.
Amy Ryan (Helene McCready) is definitely an actress to watch. You could swear that she was someone Ben Affleck cast off the streets of the neighborhood, but right after this recent viewing of GBG, we saw Dan In Real Life (another good movie) and she was fine in a very small role as Dan’s sister-in-law.
Has anyone read the book and seen the movie? Dennis Lehane is one of my favorite authors (Mystic River, anyone?), and I thought the book was outstanding. The ending was very powerful and thought-provoking, and not at all easy; it sounds like they preserved that in the movie. How does the movie compare with the book?
I haven’t read the book yet but I would like to before I see the movie. Which means I hope to read it in the next week. I’ve heard great things about the book and the movie so I’m very excited for a great read.
No, they were showing just how little the mother knew about her own child. (She didn’t get the name right when she gave the doll’s name to the police.) That is supposed to drive home to Affleck just how badly he may have screwed up giving the daughter back to her uncaring and self-involved mother.
I had read the book several years ago but forgot I read it. It came back to me as I was watching the film. Yes, they preserved the ending perfectly. If you liked the book, you’ll like the movie.
Was this seriously Ben Affleck’s directing debut? I’m really impressed, and I’m considering taking back all the bad stuff I’ve thought about him over the years.
Whenever I’ve seen Ben Affleck in interviews or on talk shows, he always comes off as surprisingly quick, witty and bright. Despite the J-Lo thing and some of his choices in roles, he does seem to have some actual substance and intelligence to him.
I don’t really care for Ben’s talents, but was really impressed the couple of times he’s been on SNL in his willingness to poke fun at any and all aspects of his life- very impressive.
Plus I thinkmovie reviews bear a similarity to pit threads- if the first 10 or so reviewers say its good, 99% of the others who weigh in will agree.
Essentially, he’s an able supporting actor. His best work–not stellar, but fairly servicable–has been in this vein (Good Will Hunting, Shakespeare in Love). It’s when he becomes a lead, particularly in all varieties of dreck, that his limitations as both an actor and as a star are apparent (although even in a good movie, like Chasing Amy, he’s still thoroughly out of his element).
Here’s hoping the film does well enough that he can pursue more projects behind the camera.
I hate to resurrect a somewhat old thread (it’s only two weeks since the last post, give me a break).
I really enjoyed this movie. I’m now a fan of Casey Affleck. It’s also old enough where I’m not going to use spoilers. I’m usually pretty good at predicting movies, but this one threw me for a few loops. I was half expecting Ed Harris to be a pedophile; who was getting his ‘fix’ from his informant Slim Jim, or whatever his name was. I loved, yet was terrified by the moral dilemma at the end. The right decision was made even though it wasn’t the best decision. I agree with a previous poster who said they couldn’t live with themselves if the ‘other’ decision was made.
I thought the moral dilemma at the end was phony. The plot was absurdly convoluted. Michelle Monaghan’s acting consisted mostly of standing around with a dazed expression on her face. At the climax the characters made expository speeches to each other.
I can’t believe even a corrupt cop would be so dumb as to try to pull off a scheme with such a high likelihood of failure and then try to justify it on moral grounds. And where were they going to hide this kid whose face had been plastered all over the news - in a closet? And the only reason I can see that the girl was happy with her new situation was that it was in the script - even abused, neglected children love their mothers.
