'The Town'

'The Town' (R) (3 stars)

Writers: Peter Craig, Aaron Stockard and Ben Affleck based on novel "Prince of Thieves" by Chuck Hogan

Director: Ben Affleck
Starring: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, John Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Chris Cooper, Pete Postlethwaite, Blake Lively, Slaine, Titus Welliver

Ben Affleck has had a pretty successful acting career so far and I used to dislike him. After "Good Will Hunting" I found his projects vanity type ones and his performances wooden. Though ever since the powerful "Changing Lanes" I am getting to like Affleck a lot more and find him a very good actor. Now that Ben Affleck has directed to me one of the best and most powerful movies in a decade, "Gone Baby Gone", he is now a great director and better than he is an actor. I was very excited and eagerly awaiting his next directing effort "The Town". While not as great as Baby (not many movies period are better) "The Town" is still very well directed and very entertaining and compelling. "The Town" tells the story of Charleston, Massachusetts where more robberies take place then in any other city or town in America. It also focuses on one crew led by Affleck and Jeremy Renner (again very great) as they pull off a bank heist. They kidnap a bank teller played by Rebecca Hall and after they let her go Doug (Affleck) trails her. He starts a relationship with her and his partners start to get very angry about it. They are also chased by a too good looking to be true FBI agent played by John Hamm. Why do all FBI agents in television and movies look like male models? Another character in this film is the city of Boston. Ben Affleck knows how to showcase his home town wonderfully just like Andrew Davis, Michael Mann and Christopher Nolan do for Chicago. The movie captures the many wonderful, blue collar residents of Boston or Charleston to be more exact. If this movie took place in L.A. then I might have lowered my rating.

Don't get me wrong I had a great time watching "The Town" but it is not in the league of the two best heist films, Michael Mann's "Thief" (one of the best movies ever filmed in Chicago) or Michael Mann's "Heat". It is though full of great characters, great photography and a great lived in feeling. We can smell, feel and touch Charleston or Boston. I loved a prolonged heist and shoot out at Fenway Park and a car chase and gun battle on the streets. Ben Affleck does a great job directing the crisp action scenes and chases. Though the real strength of Affleck here like it was in "Gone Baby Gone" is in directing his actors. He coaxed an Oscar winning performance from Amy Ryan for Baby and the actors here are great too. What a great cast of dependable veterans, three stars on the rise and another solid Ben Affleck. Jeremy Renner is hot after "The Hurt Locker" and he is intense and solid here as Doug's partner and childhood friend. Rebecca Hall has been amazing in "Vicky Christina Barcelona" and other movies. She has a perfect American accent and gives a great and vulnerable performance. Yes John Hamm is very good looking and might be too good looking for an FBI agent but he makes an impression here. He sucks me into "Mad Men" every week, even when I think of not watching it anymore, and he has great star and leading man potential. The only problem and one of the weaknesses of the movie is there is not enough heat, tension or power to the battle of the agent and Doug. Also Blake Lively (Gossip Girl) is too mannered in her performance and her character is badly written. I like the flow of "The Town", loved the performances, direction and action. It is very entertaining but it is missing that extra oomph of say "Heat". I don't expect it to be as great but I think this movie hints at greatness but misses the line. Ben Affleck is becoming quite a director and story teller and I look forward to his next movie in a very big way.