Gazette/Connection Film Critic
Now Ben Affleck has some bragging rights in his career that in some small way meet the expectations generated when he and his lifelong pal Matt Damon received Oscars as very young Hollywood successes. This is one of a very small handful of really good movies that we have been given this year. It is a gritty heist movie set in Boston and will immediately spur comparisons to “The Departed,” the enormously successful and brilliant Martin Scorsese film that stared Matt Damon.
“The Town” doesn’t quite rise to the peak ascended by “The Departed,” but it is still a heck of a good movie.
Affleck stars in this film and also wrote and directed it. This is a bold and dangerous trifecta for a movie guy to indulge in. If the film is less than perfect, he has no one to blame but himself. It puts Affleck all in, as the gamblers say. And Affleck wins big.
The movie has two stories that are shuffled together. In story one, Affleck leads a gang of bank and armored car robbers in Boston. They are very successful and very disciplined, which is why they are successful. Jeremy Renner (“The Hurt Locker”) is picture perfect as Affleck’s friend and dangerously fey second in command. We have to penetrate the world of criminal class Irish in Boston to understand the motives and aspirations of the robbers. Renner’s character is a criminal reflection of the ancient, doomed heroes of Irish lore. He can think of nothing better to do than push his luck until it runs out.
In story two, Affleck and bank manager Rebecca Hall become involved when Affleck enters her life to spy on her. She managed a bank the gang robbed and Affleck hopes to thwart an ongoing FBI investigation. Their love affair is very carefully and believably crafted. With such a preposterous premise, this is not easy. Hall is outstanding in a very complex and subtle performance.
In the film, Affleck is a robber, deceiver and a vengeful murderer, and still we root for him because he shows depth to his personality that we can identify with and support. We hope that, against the odds, he will find a way to peace and happiness through the blood, lies and chaos of his life.
It is a very good movie.
Four stars for this heist flick. It is rated “R” for sex, language and adult themes. We get our money’s worth with a film that runs just over two hours. With a budget of $37 million and an opening weekend of $24 million, Affleck has justified the producers’ faith in his skills.
Coming soon are the well received teen flick “Easy A” and the long anticipated Zombie action movie, “Resident Evil: Afterlife.”
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