The Town - Rob Culpepper

I'm not sure if Ben Affleck is a good actor or not. I think we can all agree that he's a decent director. I'm not saying he's ever going to win an Academy Award for either. However, I think he plays a decent character when he basically plays himself: a likable guy with street smarts but also an overarching sense of what's right. In other words, he can see the specific but not lose sight of the universal. I don't actually know if that's how he is in real life, but let's just say his character in The Town is much more Good Will Hunting than Pearl Harbor.

So Affleck starred in and also directed this movie, which is no small feat. And the movie is pretty good. There's tons of shooting, some really intense and heart-pounding moments, some decent dialogue, and a good story that develops between Affleck's character (Doug McCrae) and Rebecca Hall's (Claire Keesy). Speaking of Rebecca Hall, you will recognize her from The Prestige and Vicky Christina Barcelona (she was the other girl). She is introduced in the first heist, and then becomes the tug at McCrae's heart that leads him to question his questionable line of work.

Other notable people in the film: Blake Lively (she's in my top 5), Jon Hamm (who plays a total douche of an FBI agent), Jeremy Renner (plays a rough dude you always associate with Boston/Irish/gang stories), and Chris Cooper (he's always a home run, in my opinion).

So now to sell you on the film: It's worth watching, no more no less. It's a heist flick, so you know you're going to get to watch people steal money in cool ways. It has a little romance in it. It certainly has some complexity that a straight Shoot 'em Up film doesn't have. Although, the issue of loyalty to brother/friend/neighborhood is quite common in movies about local crime. Now that I think about it, The Town doesn't really do anything new in the realm of cinema. But it's an interesting story and it's told well. So if you've got $10 and a couple of hours to burn, check it out.

*I was recently in Boston visiting Buck Snodgrass among others, and I can say that having a grasp of the geography of Boston is helpful. So maybe look at a map before you head into the theater.