Sample Ethics Paper on The Film “Gone Baby Gone (2007)”

The film “Gone Baby Gone (2007)” is about a private investigator called Patrick who has been hired to help in the search for a missing girl. His search takes him to what he perceives as a dead end when the girl is presumed dead, and the case closed. Another child, this time a boy, is abducted. Guilt drives Patrick into investigating the abduction of the boy, but he fails again and gets to see the dead body of the boy at a suspect’s house. This angers him so much that he kills the child molester who has earlier on injured a police officer fatally (Affleck). Events start unfolding in the film, and Patrick realizes that Amanda, the missing girl, might still be alive. He starts to suspect this after reading between the lines in conversations he has with Remy Bressant, the police officer assigned to Amanda’s case.

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As the film draws to a close, Patrick realizes that the police were involved in the disappearance of Amanda. Further, he connects the dots and Jack Doyle, a recently retired captain, is the one who has adopted the girl without following the required procedures. The girl’s mother is a drug addict and negligent enough to leave the toddler unsupervised to go out clubbing. Jack Doyle, with all his experience in law enforcement, is convinced that the girl will not receive good upbringing with the mother and will most probably end up as an addict or drug mule. The abduction, he explains to Patrick, was done in good faith and the best interests of the child. (Affleck) Patrick, on the other hand, is angry that due process was not followed. He is also angered by the fact that the family of Amanda think that she is dead yet she is so happy living with Jack Doyle.  Patrick calls the police to arrest Jack Doyle and put him in jail for kidnapping.

Using the Kantian theory, the actions of Jack Doyle are morally right, as he had taken the child to secure her future and save her from the negative influence of the mother. The joy the Amanda exhibits when around Doyle and his wife indicate that they are treating her right and will secure her future and make her a successful adult with better opportunities. The actions taken by Doyle are not legal, but that does not water down his noble intention of giving the child a better future. With the reasons given by Doyle, Patrick is not satisfied and believes that the best place for the child to grow up is with the mother. Patrick’s girlfriend begs him not to report Doyle to the police, as what he has done is noble. Patrick is stubborn and calls the police on Doyle. This leads to the disintegration of his relationship.

The stands taken by both Patrick and Doyle are moral, and this is a cause for dilemma on Patrick’s conscience. Patrick ends up doing what he believes is best for Amanda. Later on, in the last scene, Patrick has visited Amanda who is about to be left unsupervised by the mother (Affleck). The mother is going out on a date and has not made arrangements with regards to who is going to babysit Amanda. The facial expression given by Patrick as he speaks with the mother and watches the child has questions written all over it. He seems to be wondering whether he made the right choice by letting an irresponsible mother have her child back.

Work Cited

Affleck, Ben. Gone Baby Gone. United States: The Ladd Company, 2007. film.

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