Remember when everyone was talking about this movie? It was Ben Affleck's first turn behind the camera and people lost their minds raving about how good it was. Maybe a bunch of you saw it then. I didn't so I appreciate that no one spoiled it and I could watch it unbiased.Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) are Boston Private Investigators. They mostly handle missing persons in the form of drug-addicts and other people who just slip through the cracks. But when they have the opportunity to augment police presence on the abduction of four-year-old Amanda MacReady (Madeline O'Brien), Patrick jumps at the chance. Angie doesn't want to run the risk of finding a dead or abused toddler but can't say no to the impassioned plea of the girl's aunt (Amy Madigan). The mother, Helene (Amy Ryan), is a known drug-user and party girl, and it's not long before her version of events that night starts to unravel. Patrick and Angie team up with Detectives Poole (John Ashton) and Bressant (Ed Harris) in order to pull the story apart and find out what really happened to Amanda.
It's not really a high-octane thriller, despite the number of shoot-outs. It just sort of creeps along, slowly gathering dread and grime. The ending drags on a bit, once you get past the big reveal. Personally, I would have cut it there but I get why Affleck wanted to show more. **POTENTIAL SPOILERS in white. Mouse over to see** Christy came in about twenty minutes before the credits and asked me if I would have called the cops and returned the girl to her birth mother. I didn't even have to hesitate. Absolutely not. I would have shook his hand, said "Have a good trip, sir," and been on my merry way, because I don't value being right as much as I value being happy. Blood isn't the only thing that makes a family. **END SPOILERS** Overall, I thought it was a very well-done movie that raised a lot of questions about morality and how far people will go to do the "right" thing.
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