5
An intriguing detective film about a neighbor who hires a private investigator (Casey Affleck) to look into the disappearance of her 4-year-old niece. It isn’t long before the detective begins to realize he has taken on more than he can handle with a case that involves a crackhead mom, pedophiles and murderers. Affleck, in his breakthrough role is compelling as a detective who, although small in stature, is often the wisest and toughest guy in the room and all the more intelligent for keeping that fact to himself. He is convincing as a person in morally questionable world where everyone else is certain about the right things to do. Ben Affleck, in his directing debut, creates a wonderfully moody and tension filled atmosphere. But probably the best aspect of the film is the moral question that it raises. It compelled this writer to ask himself how far he might go to bend the rules or break the law in order to do something that would most likely have a positive effect on many people. It is a poignant question that the film poses skillfully but thankfully never answers.
An intriguing detective film about a neighbor who hires a private investigator (Casey Affleck) to look into the disappearance of her 4-year-old niece. It isn’t long before the detective begins to realize he has taken on more than he can handle with a case that involves a crackhead mom, pedophiles and murderers. Affleck, in his breakthrough role is compelling as a detective who, although small in stature, is often the wisest and toughest guy in the room and all the more intelligent for keeping that fact to himself. He is convincing as a person in morally questionable world where everyone else is certain about the right things to do. Ben Affleck, in his directing debut, creates a wonderfully moody and tension filled atmosphere. But probably the best aspect of the film is the moral question that it raises. It compelled this writer to ask himself how far he might go to bend the rules or break the law in order to do something that would most likely have a positive effect on many people. It is a poignant question that the film poses skillfully but thankfully never answers.
AHHH The "AFFLECK AFFECT", way too much talent in one gene pool. Conscience in the central theme to this RAW film...I left the theater siding with the infinite wisdom of the character that asked me to look 30 years ahead. Hey, that was easy for me I've already lived 30 years past the last scene, a scene that will make even the most optimistic among us a little uneasy. You will like this film if you have a conscience and are willing to exercise it, either way you'll be thinking about this one for a long time.