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 who also directed) follows her and without intending to, becomes romantically involved. It can only lead to disaster ... and does. Could Affleck be the next Clint Eastwood? With his feature film directorial debut in 2007 GONE BABY GONE, he 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. Posterity will tell. Like Eastwood, Affleck is a far better director than he ever was an actor. But unlike, say, 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, there's one small loophole that bothers me but not enough to downgrade it. With Jeremy Renner (HURT LOCKER), Jon Hamm, Blake Lively (a real scene stealer), Chris Cooper and Pete Postlethwaite. Along with GHOST WRITER, the best American film I've seen this year. Highly recommended.