10 Movies That Pissed Audiences Off The RIGHT WAY

7. Patrick Returns Amanda To Her Mother - Gone Baby Gone

Ben Affleck's fantastic thriller about the hunt for a missing child concludes with the revelation that the girl, three-year-old Amanda (Madeline O'Brien), was kidnapped by Captain Jack Doyle (Morgan Freeman), who felt he could offer her a better life than Amanda's cocaine-addicted mother Helen (Amy Ryan).

Protagonist Patrick (Casey Affleck) then discusses whether or not to turn Doyle in with his partner Angie (Michelle Monaghan), who insists she will leave him if he reports Doyle to the police.

After a beat, we see that Patrick did indeed call the cops, and the film ends with Amanda being returned to her mother.

In the final scene, Helene is once again getting ready to go out without arranging a sitter for Amanda, and Patrick shows up to look after her instead.

Audiences have agonised over Gone Baby Gone's final dilemma for over a decade, as to whether or not Patrick did the right thing.

And naturally, the film's ending is a major source of frustration for many, who felt that Patrick made a huge mistake by placing Amanda back with her mother rather than allowing her to live out a "better" life.

But that's the brilliance of the ending - it's satisfying because it's unsatisfying. It's a decision totally consistent with Patrick's established character, raises a provocative moral question and then leaves the audience to ponder it forever more.

Had the film simply ended with Amanda living a happy life with Doyle, it wouldn't be anywhere near as poignant. The blood pressure of everyone watching might've been a bit lower, though.