“Do the right thing.”

Not always as easy as it sounds.

How does one act when doing the right thing may not be the best thing? What if doing the ethical thing means doing something illegal? What if the good guys are expected to break the law? How should one react when someone follows the rules and loses the respect of all those around him by doing so?

These and a multitude of other ethical concerns are at the forefront of the new thriller, “Gone Baby Gone,” the directorial debut by Ben Affleck, also collaborating on the screenplay with Aaron Stockard.

Patrick Kenzie and Annie Gennaro are private investigators that specialize in finding missing persons. Normally they locate those who are trying not to be found. This time they are hired to help law enforcement locate a missing little girl.

The search for Amanda opens the seedy underground of Boston. Junkies, drug dealers and various other criminal elements all come into play. Many are not always what they appear to be. The same is true for many of the individuals whose task is to find the missing girl.

Ben’s younger brother Casey gives a stellar performance as Patrick Kenzie. Coming off strong performances in diverse films such as “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” and “The Last Kiss,” the younger Affleck continues to expand his range. With each new role he appears to increase his comfort and delivery in front of the camera. That’s something his older brother lacks.

The supporting case is top-notch as well. Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris and real-life wife Amy Madigan, as well as John Ashton, all give quality performances. Even the unknown cast members add to the focus of the film.

Granted, Ben Affleck knows his way around Hollywood; little of his career has been spent behind the camera. While a decent actor, his only film award was shared with Matt Damon for Best Original Screenplay for the film “Good Will Hunting.”

“Gone Baby Gone” has a refined, suspenseful quality rarely obtained from first-time directors. Affleck may have found his true calling as a director.

While the subject matter and some of the scenes are at times extremely graphic, it’s the ethical implications of the film that truly set it apart from the rest of the suspense films out now. This is a complicated story told with nuance and finesse. And this is one film that will certainly have audiences questioning afterward as to who did the right thing.

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John Malgesini is a teacher at Umatilla High School.