Sunny days in Boston

Rating: 8/10 (31 October 2010)

Charlestown is the bank robbery capitol of America. The trade is passed down from father to son. Doug wants out. He's good at it, but he wants a chance at a proper life. That is no easy task; there are people who don't want him to quit, including childhood friend Jem(a volatile man, played to perfection by Jeremy Renner) who does jobs with him, and the crime lord The Florist(Pete Postlethwaite who is never seen without flowers near him, and yet he truly inspires dread... that takes serious stones). Things are complicated when he falls for the hostage(that white chick from Vicky Christina Barcelona who wasn't Scarlett Johansson) they took on the most recent heist, and the FBI begin to track them down. Right from the get-go, this grips you. The story moves along at a very good pace, giving you room to breathe after a scene of tension(frankly, it gets so thick, you'll be walking out of the theater with a friggin' ulcer), the character development has you caring whenever something big happens, and the acting(Cooper makes an impact with a tiny amount of screen-time) is great for all concerned(best ensemble cast I've seen in the last few years). Yes, Affleck himself does well(and is charming), as he can when he is at his best in that field... and his direction is something you should *not* miss(and hey, maybe he'll eventually branch out to dealing with plots that don't have any kidnappings in them... just kidding). He handles all the elements beautifully. The twists hit you like blows to the gut. This is filmed and edited incredibly well. The brutal violence(of which there is a ton) is all in close-up and often with hand-held cameras, and this makes it immensely effective. And the way this uses cuts to silence or to seemingly uneventful images in the sequence is evidence of considerable skill. It hits the balance impossibly well, and we truly get a compelling experience at the theater, where the emotion feels genuine and it really stays with you after you leave. The bits where we see the gang engage in their craft are intense and swift, with many of tiny details that really hammer home how professional these people are. It makes the inevitable confrontation between them and the police all the more grand. The shootouts have a Michael Mann quality to them. Authenticity, realism and a real sense that any of the bullets could prove fatal. The dialog is clever and well-delivered, and though it comes close to being "overwritten" at times, it always works... oh, and brush up on slang or bring a dictionary or something... I'm grateful there were subtitles. Oh, and I'm not qualified to judge the accents... I can say that several people go for it. This has an appropriate amount of humor in this, and without anything losing its seriousness. There is a lot of strong language, a little sexuality and brief nudity in this. I recommend this to everyone who can handle it. 8/10