Some films are better seen when you know nothing about them. I think this is one of them. Therefore, although I will not give away too much in this short review, I still recommend you don’t read it.

Gone Baby Gone starts out impressively, the acting is solid, the direction is interesting and the beginnings of the plot shows promise even if it’s not the most inspired.

The film is based on a Denis Lehane (author of Mystic River) novel and Casey Affleck plays a private detective who is hired to help out in the case of a missing child, because he knows some people on the periphery of the local underworld and may be able to obtain information the cops couldn’t.

Casey Affleck gives a good solid performance in this film, but displays nothing of the range or subtlety he had in The Assasination of Jesse James. Similarly solid but uninspired performances from Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman, and pretty much everyone in this film.

Michelle Monaghan (playing Affleck’s partner in both senses of the word) gets no chance to shine as she is rather strangely non present in a film where she should be a key character.

The one stand out performance was from Amy Madigan in her small part as the aunt of the missing child - she is convincingly distraught and relentless in her determination to do everything possible to find her niece.

This is Ben Affleck’s debut feature film in the role of director, and personally I already prefer his directorial skills to his acting skills. However, with such a good cast he should have been able to elicit better performances, and the film begins to lag stylistically as it progresses.

The confidant style the film opens with gives way to hollywooditis somewhat as the film rolls on, and the message becomes very heavy handed. With a pinch of subtlety this film could have been a real gem, and genuinely thought provoking. However the mallet approach turns one off somewhat and also misses the opportunity to dive into the real cultural issues at play in the plot.

Similarly it is hard to swallow the moral dilemma the film should provoke as it racks up the body count with only one ham fisted attempt to address the cost and implications of the human loss. However, even as the initally somewhat credible plotline begins to descend into the incredible, Gone Baby Gone somehow holds on to your attention - although you may begin to feel that this level of drama may have been more suited to the small screen.

A small cameo from Michael K. Williams, who plays Omar in the Wire only serves to remind that the small screen is doing a much better job of what this film sets out to achieve.

However, all that said, I’m known for being fairly critical and this was an enjoyable evening at the cinema, so go see it and let me know what you thought!