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I am going to paste together my thoughts on Ben Affleck's new film using bits and pieces from several mainstream critics' reviews of The Town. Some SPOILERS are sure to pop up.
"Remember when Ben Affleck
was an easy punchline, tagged with the mashup name Bennifer..." – Caryn James, NEWSWEEK
Yes, I do. What's interesting is that when you look back at his filmography, there are bad spots for sure, but it isn't as bad as I remember. In fact, he put himself in the hands of some capable directors. Affleck appears in the best films of Richard Linklater (Dazed & Confused) and Kevin Smith (Chasing Amy). He's also worked with John Frankenhiemer, Gus Van Sant, John Woo, John Madden, Michael Bay, Roger Michell, Martin Brest and Mike Judge. Must have been the annoying tabloid presence. Well, and the fact that the bad spots were just awful.
"The Town"
[is] a fast-paced, character-driven heist movie that combines robberies with
romance and solidifies Affleck's reputation as an actor with a genuine
gift for directing. – Kenneth Turan, LA TIMES
There are violent moments. There are emotional moments. Something for everyone.
"...and Affleck makes the place the true protagonist; he treats its tribal
customs with an anthropologist’s awe. The setting is predominantly
Charlestown, a mile-long Boston neighborhood with a tradition of
blue-collar crime, passed down like a trade, we’re told in the opening
titles, from father to son." – David Edelstein, NEW YORK MAGAZINE
Like I've said before, the best movies pull you away and root you in a different place for a couple hours. My head definitely left Noblesville, Indiana for a while.
"If Affleck’s doing a riff on the sexy, doom-laden antiheroes of ’40s
film noir, Renner’s doing straight-up Cagney, and he’s the most
watchable thing in the movie. His character is itchy with aggression..." –Ty Burr, THE BOSTON GLOBE
I thought that the strongest pieces of this movie were the casting and the acting. Among a great ensamble, Jeremy Renner stands out.
"The Town" shows, as his first film "Gone Baby Gone"
(2007) did, that Affleck has the stuff of a real director. Everything
is here. It's an effective thriller, he works closely with actors, he
has a feel for pacing." Roger Ebert– CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
You can't deny it, he's a talented director. His first films are great, but not masterworks. With the right screenplay I think he's got what it takes to get one.
"...it misses on the big emotional gut-punch—but it's good enough at least that you wish it was better." – Nick Pinkerton, THE VILLAGE VOICE
I enjoyed The Town. It is a fine film. For me, it sits on the doorstep of being a "new classic" but comes up just shy.
The Coen brothers
remake the 1969 John Wayne western adaptation of the novel of
True Grit with Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin. They had me at the Coen brothers.
Check it out.