That Tug at Personal Morality

Rating: 7/10 (16 February 2011)

I always get caught short on the idea of the glorification of someone whose life revolves around the deaths of others, whose "occupation" is to steal from those who have no say in anything. What I mean is, our hero is not there to dole out justice or to even a score, he's a two bit punk who happens to be smoother and more handsome than the others around him. In the process, he begins to become more human because of falling into a relationship. I know that this attitude would negate "The Godfather" or any of the wise-guy movies so popular over time. So I enjoy the development of the characters, even if I have not one scintilla of admiration for them. The ugliness of the Boston streets works well here as does the criminal element and the "honor among thieves" thing. What works well is Affleck's brush with true humanity. One last issue. I'm getting a little tired of the incredible amount of fire-power that these guys have and how little carnage there really is. Also, there seems to be a lot of carelessness in police work if we are to believe this stuff.