The Town (2010)

Set in Charlestown, Massachusetts which according to the film is the bank robbery capitol of the U.S., four masked bank robbers take a hostage (Rebecca Hall VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA) but later release her. Later, one of the robbers (Ben Affleck) follows her and without intending to, becomes romantically involved. It can only lead to disaster ... and does. Based on the novel PRINCE OF THIEVES by Chuck Hogan and directed by Ben Affleck. With his feature film directorial debut in 2007 GONE BABY GONE, Affleck displayed an assured command of the material and with this film he's done a superlative job with a complex heist and character film that compares favorably with the likes of THE ASPHALT JUNGLE and THE KILLING. Like Clint Eastwood, Affleck is a far better director than he ever was an actor. But unlike, say, other movie stars turned director like Kevin Costner or Mel Gibson, he doesn't use his films as vanity projects. The film runs slightly over two hours but is so gripping that you won't notice the time. It's not a perfect film but that's not enough to downgrade it although I'm slightly queasy with the romanticization of career criminals. With Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively (a real scene stealer), Chris Cooper and Pete Postlethwaite.