ABSTRACT
What distinguishes morally right action from morally wrong action? This is the primary question posed within ethics. It is also one of the questions posed within Crimes and Misdemeanors and Gone Baby Gone . In these fi lms we meet characters who “represent,” either by word or deed, many of the ethical theories philosophers have developed in answer to this question. Seeing these theories “made fl esh” is useful in discussing the pros and cons of each. As always, the fi rst few sections of this chapter provide a general introduction to the topic-one that does not require previous acquaintance with the movies. Our advice is to read up through Section 6.3, watch Crimes and Misdemeanors and Gone Baby Gone , then pick up reading again with Section 6.4.
