Average heist/action movie is not bad, not great.

Rating: 7/10 (19 September 2010)

"The Town" is OK, though nothing special, really. I just don't, or rather can't ever buy Affleck or Damon for that matter, as leading men. They simply don't have the skill, charm, or charismatic appeal of the seasoned pros for my money. In my opinion, their strengths are writing, producing, and directing. Those things and Robin Williams' performance is what made Good Will Hunting a good movie, not Ben nor Matt's acting abilities. The other thing that needs to be pointed out, is that the movie is based on a best-selling novel, which is basically almost always a sure-fire hit at the box office with a pre-built-in audience; which amounts to taking the safe road. The story is superb, and an added bonus is the authentic Boston location shots (although if you are a Bostonian, you can easily pick out some of the flaws in the location sequencing. During car chase scenes, for example, one frame they are in the North End, the next it is Bay Village, then Beacon Hill, back to the North End, etc. all within seconds. I know this is nitpicking, so that really is not a big deal. Of course, it is great to see Fenway Park in any movie and this one is no exception and delivers. Even though I did not read Prince of Thieves, (the novel that the film is based upon) there were quite a few times when I got the feeling that too much license may have been taken with story incidentals and plot development for the sake of the action-movie dollars and for fans of Affleck's work. The music soundtrack is almost non-existent or not very memorable, sounding at times like what used to merely be referred to as "stock". Jeremy Renner (who steals the show), Rebecca Hall, and Jon Hamm are far more interesting to watch than Affleck here, and their performances are about as solid as it can get in an action/heist drama of this sort. Is it a bad movie? By no means, if you ask me. Is it a great movie? Certainly not, in my opinion. Maybe as an inexpensively priced matinée, it succeeds, but I am happy that I was not prepared to pay top dollar and wait in a long line to see it. Although I had no expectations entering the theater, I still exited feeling that this is one of those films that is probably best left to DVD, cable, or large screen in the comfort of your home. As a heist movie, it is no "Killing Zoe", "Dog Day Afternoon", or "Reservoir Dogs" that's for sure. Give Ben Affleck a few more years or miles under his belt as a dramatic actor, and he just may someday develop into a great actor/director who doesn't feel the need or desire for so many close-ups and takes of what amounts to, well, Ben Affleck's rather limited repertoire of Ben Affleck faces.