This was a great movie. The acting and story are top notch and pack quite a punch.

I didn't know Ben Afflek had it in him! Good Job!

*** SPOILER ***

Boy oh boy did the ending spark a big debate between Dessy and Myself. She thought the kid should have stayed with Morgan Freeman instead of "that worthless bitch of a mother!" Ouch! Great ending.

havn't seen it, but M.M. is one of my new favorite hotties!


Not too shabby

Wow, warning to you parental types!
Themes of child abuse/abduction alert!!!
A fine directorial effort by Ben Affleck (I can't believe I said that) and a fine lead performance by his brother Casey (ditto!). I guess it's that gritty Boston 'pahk the cah in Hahvahd yahd' influence that gets their creative juices going.

*minor spoilers*


What starts out as a very sensitive story about a missing 4 year old girl, turns into a things-aren't-as-they-seem scenario, and then a big finale involving some very big moral and ethical decisions. Derek, I understand how you and Dessy argued about this!
I was gonna deduct some points because the who-dunnit aspect was pretty blatant and obvious, but overall this is chock full of great performances (Amy Ryan getting a deserved Oscar nomination here), and the final scenes are discussion-worthy.
The film had a 'Mystic River' feel to it, but was much better IMHO. Also, I got weepy at more than one scene - bring some tissues.
Oh, and when was the last time Ed Harris wasn't awesome? Never! And yes, Michelle Monaghan is babe-a-rific.
Big recommendations here.

Well, just read that it's based on the novel by the same guy who wrote 'Mystic River', so there ya go.

I couldn't agree more with Mitchy. This was my second flick on the way to Vancouver on Air Canada.

All I kept thinking while watching this was, solid, solid directing. Really, very impressive. Also, the acting, the mood, the art direction: brilliant. We don't see much of the lower classes in films, but I thought this did a great job of portraying the underbelly of the city of Boston. A superb film. I am now psyched to see (It's a hellova) The Town; Affleck's follow up.

We I finally got around to watching this. Simply amazing. Best movie I've seen in quite a while and I really can't believe that I had never heard of it.
I agree with all of the above comments.
I too can easily see this being a big and complex discussion point (as Derek mentioned).
I watched alone, but was trying to debate both side in my head.

PS. Ed Harris really is awesome. One of the best!