The Town

Ben Affleck is starting to emerge as the frontrunner to be the unlikely successor to Clint Eastwood as the actor who wins critical acclaim as a director. This follow-up to Gone Baby Gone is probably not quite as accomplished film as his debut, but is nonetheless an extremely accomplished sophomore effort.

One of the things that aids Affleck is that he has a strong sense of place for his native Boston, which becomes almost an extra-character in the film. Another Affleck strength is that he is clearly an actor's director, marshalling strong performances from a very strong cast (albeit one lacking real star names). He chips in himself with one of his best turns for a while, but is ably supported by Rebecca Hall, Mad Men's Jon Hamm and The Hurt Locker's Jeremy Renner, with great support even in the minor roles coming from the likes of Chris Cooper and Pete Postlethwaite.

The story is nothing all that new - skilled bank-robber (Affleck) wanting out of the game after meeting a girl from a different background (Hall) (albeit having met whilst abducting her during a bank raid), but persuaded to carry that one last job with a friend who's a bit of a liability (Renner), being pursued by the relentless cop (Hamm). But although he handles the action deftly, Affleck never lets this become another heist movie or loses sight of character or relationship in the mix.

Overall - 8/10  The material is decidedly genre-typical, but the performances and direction lift this into something far better and more engaging.