You will think about this one for a LONG time.... A++++

Rating: 9/10 (4 April 2008)

This is a very fine and precise film. Casey Affleck brings a very textured and multi level performance- well lets get away from that fine talk- Affleck's performance is top notch, and hurts your heart. If you are a reader of Lehane's books, you are NOT going to be pleased with Angie Gennaro. Looking at her in the context of the books, the film portrayal is weak, whiny and extremely lacking. So, to enjoy the film, you have to leave what you know from the books at the door. It's a pity, because in Lehane's Mckenzie/Gennaro series, Angie is the strong hard hitting character, and it is a pity the film didn't chose to act on this- however, let's be practical, you only have so many minutes in a film, and this director chose to develop Patrick- very VERY well... I am a Bostonian living away from home. This film broke my heart- the accent was spot on, the background was perfect, everyone in the film was a bit of my life. There are raw and hard choices made here. This is a film that you will think about for a long long time, like Mystic River. Ben Affleck knows where he comes from and obviously worked very hard, and picked a perfect crew to see him through. He can be proud. The cinematography is first rate, and often heartbreakingly beautiful.Truly an asset to the mood of the film. MOOD is key here- there is very subtle play of music, and very subtle play of the neighborhood. It is a RICH texture. No one can re-create a Boston story, Spenser, or Lehane, or what have you without knowing that there is always ONE character in the background, and that is Boston's particular character of neighborhood- it is VERY different from any city in the US, even NYC. Affleck catches it, undoubtedly because he grew up with it. It is in his blood, and makes him who he is. Had he not gotten this, he would have failed Lehane, and never carried the story over in such a way as to win our hearts, and BREAK our hearts in half... These are all our failed yesterdays, all the kids we went to the High with, all the places we left, and wondered about - or didn't leave and are ashamed of. A very TRUE TRUE film.