Gone Baby Gone and Male/Female Decision Making

Has anyone seen Gone Baby Gone? Recently P. and I went to view this movie bc quite superficially we had heard it is set in the Boston area, albeit a rough neighborhood, and wanted to take a walk down memory lane. Despite the depressing content, we enjoyed the movie, finding it to be very thought provoking. Oh, and by the, Casey Affleck is a much better actor than Ben. Ben actually directed this film, which has an incredible cast, notably Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris, and Morgan Freeman.

Ok, here's the point: the movie concludes with the main characters forced to make a morally ambiguous (as the film wants us to see it) decision. The two protagonists, a male and female, are split to disheartening effect in how they frame the issue. While Monaghan's character focuses on the human consequence of the decision, Affleck's attention is fixated on the question of law and principle.

Interestingly enough, in discussing the issue afterward, P.'s and my perspectives seemed (though to a somewhat lesser degree) to reflect the same difference observed in the film between the lead characters. I wonder, is this a common male/female issue, whereby the male is drawn to the abstract while the female inclines more toward the personal? I certainly do not mean to stereotype nor to suggest that one extreme or the other by itself presents the whole picture. It's just a question that struck me.

If you haven't watched the film, do so when it comes out on DVD.