10 Great Movies Starring The Office Cast

Ben Affleck revitalised his flagging career in one fell swoop with this terrific neo-noir. The former tabloid darling made a number of great choices in making Gone Baby Gone - the choice of source material by Dennis Lehane, a wise decision to shun the spotlight and stay firmly behind the camera, and the casting of Amy Ryan as Helene McCready.

As Holly Flax in The Office, Ryan is a ray of sunshine. Fans of The Wire will know her as one of the drama’s few truly likeable creations. In Gone Baby Gone, though, she’s cast way against type, and rises to the challenge magnificently. She’s the story’s catalyst, a substance addled Bostonian mother whose missing daughter prompts the heroes into action.

Ryan is a raw nerve here, unsurprisingly angry but lashing out not just at her terrible situation but the world at large. She can get seriously nasty, spouting curses and racist epithets, but can hold the audience’s sympathy at the same time.

She was amply lauded for her terrific performance, gaining an Oscar nomination and myriad of other prizes. It’s a daring turn - troubling but never exploitative.