Ben Affleck is far more interesting behind the camera than in front of it. Don't get me wrong; I've never had any particular dislike of Affleck or his acting abilities. He just never took any roles that made me take notice of him. He's good-looking in that sort of bland Hollywood way. The best I can say about him as an actor is that he's inoffensive. However as a director, he's distinguished himself as a mature talent with a strong voice who (if Gone Baby Gone is any indication) will have a great run.
About halfway through Gone Baby Gone, I sat there thinking: "Okay, not bad. This is a pretty competent film. Fairly engrossing." By the end of the movie, I kept saying to myself, "Wow. That was really good. Exceptional even..." Gone Baby Gone is one of those films that leaves you with something to chew on afterwards, a sort of moral quandary in the vein of Seven or In the Bedroom. It's impressive that Affleck would choose material that's this challenging for his first foray behind the camera. Then again, it seems many actors who choose to get behind the camera are fairly intelligent and not just looking to make vanity projects. Sean Penn, Robert Redford and Denzel Washington are just a few actor/directors who've made some seriously respectable films. (Penn's Into the Wild is a perfect example.) Affleck lets his scenes breathe and although his actors get intense at moments, they never become caricatures or just chew scenery (Okay, Ed Harris does a little bit, but I love Ed Harris. He can do whatever the hell he wants.). Casey Affleck also deserves special mention. He's the real deal. I didn't care enough about The Assassination of Jesse James etc. to really give his performance in it much thought. In Gone Baby Gone, he sells the character perfectly and he has to otherwise the conclusion of the narrative would have felt false.
I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that Affleck pulls off his first directing job which such aplomb. He is after all the same guy who co-wrote Good Will Hunting, which required a certain level of skill to not come across as (too) contrived. He's obviously an intelligent guy. Regardless of how this film does, he'll have at least one paying customer willing to see his next. Word, son.
