I don’t care what you’re doing: just drop it and arrange to rent “Gone Baby Gone” right now. This movie didn’t make much of a splash when it was in theaters and I’m not sure why. But critics loved it and now that I’ve seen it, I know why.

The plot involves the disappearance of a little girl (absolutely cute, of course) from a tough Boston neighborhood. The child’s mother (Helene McCready, played by Amy Ryan) is a drug user who doesn’t seem to care much but the child’s aunt and uncle arrange to hire a couple (Patrick Kenzie, played by Casey Affleck, and Angie Gennaro, played by Michelle Monaghan) from the neighborhood who are private investigators. The PIs think they’ll have a better chance since they know the neighborhood characters but the police aren’t so sure, though they grudgingly cooperate. The two main cops are played wonderfully by Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman.

Some of the movie’s tensest moments come when Patrick Kenzie moves through the dangerour and seedy side of Boston in hopes of gaining information about the missing child. It’s fascinating, but you hope you never end up anywhere near some of these places.

The movie is clever in its fits and starts and dead-end alleys and there are moments when I was sure the movie was over only to have the action start up again. There also are some moments of true horror and Patrick’s reactions reflect the viewers’ as he confronts tragedy.

Ben Affleck wrote and directed it based on the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane. (Lehane also wrote “Mystic River,” which won Oscars for Sean Penn and Tim Robbins). On the DVD extras, Ben Affleck says he considered starring before casting his brother in the lead role.

Ben Affleck showed he has the writing chops with “Good Will Hunting” and I think that’s where his strength lies. His acting has always been so-so in my book but with “Gone Baby Gone” he proves he can write and direct. I look forward to more from him.

Last 5 posts by Jeanne DePaul

• And I thought nothing could top last week's "Survivor" - May 8th, 2008
• 'Idol' chatter for May 6 - May 6th, 2008
• Have you tried edamame? - May 5th, 2008
• 'Iron Man' had iron grip on my attention - May 5th, 2008
• Finally, an idol is played on "Survivor" - May 1st, 2008