Well, it sure isn’t Gigli. Ben Affleck makes his directorial debut with an adaptation of the Dennis Lehane novel, Gone Baby Gone (Oct. 19, Miramax).

Gone deals with the abduction of a little girl in Boston and follows the detectives, police officers and family members who are involved in the case.

Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) stars in the lead role as detective Patrick Kenzie, and Michelle Monaghan (The Heartbreak Kid) plays detective Angela Gennaro, who dates Kenzie and works with him on the case. Ed Harris (A History of Violence), Morgan Freeman (Evan Almighty), Amy Ryan (Capote) and John Ashton (Beverly Hills Cop) also star in the film.

The movie’s biggest surprise is the superb direction of Ben Affleck.

In his first attempt behind the camera, he directs a film that many great directors would be proud to call one of their best. Affleck also co-wrote the script, which is only the second screenplay he has worked on-the first being, of course, the Oscar-winning Good Will Hunting.

Gone is nearly flawless. There is no denying that the eldest Affleck knows what he is doing behind the scenes.

Everything in the film flows well together, and the movie keeps viewers guessing. It questions the fine line between right and wrong, and audiences will leave with a haunting and depressing, albeit brutally realistic, message.

For instance, Boston is painted showing its lowest reams of society and is much more real than even the image of Boston given in last year’s Oscar-winning film The Departed.

Another bright spot in the film is Ryan, who plays Helene McCready, the mother of the abducted girl.

Ryan transforms into Helene-a drunk, drug-addicted, all together horrible human who doesn’t seem to even realize the magnitude of the situation until days after it happens. This is truly a breakout performance from the young actress, and she should be one to watch for come March.

Casey Affleck gives a strong performance as the conflicted Kenzie, who never gives up on the abducted girl and interacts with some of the low-lifes to try and find where she is held.

In addition to Casey’s performance, Monaghan as Gennaro manages to provide a counterbalance and often voice of reason to the brasher Kenzie.

Kenzie also has many scenes with Detective Remy Brassant (Harris), who works for the Boston Police Department and seems to know more than he leads on about the abduction.
Freeman, not surprisingly, gives a classically well-done performance as Captain Jack Doyle, who leads the Boston Police Department division involved with missing children. Doyle has the challenge of dealing with the media as well as a personal vendetta against child abduction, as his daughter was killed at age 12.

Gone is, without question, one of the best films of 2007. Although much can happen between now and the end of the year, it should garner a few Academy Award nods.