Best movie of the year so far for me

Rating: 9/10 (24 September 2010)

Ben Affleck has hit full stride with this taut, scary crime thriller. All aspects ring so true, from the superb caper planning and preparation to the actual caper timing and interactions with victims to after the caper is done and the money is in hand and causing all kinds of divisive thoughts and actions. The ensemble acting was uniquely superb overall, and that shows so true that Ben conveyed exactly what he wanted from the cast, the surest sign of a great director, and a resulting great film.
The best lesson to be learned from this terrific film, if one is learned, is that abjectly insular upbringings such as those shown in the Irish Charlestown section of Boston, are almost totally determining of most people's eventual fate if a fierce and unshakable attitude is not taken to get out and thus eliminate those strait-jacket forces holding one back from liberating self-improvement. That it is exactly the same in Harlem, East L.A, or Bensonhurst is proof positive of its eventual destructive nature. The same can be said of a religious or drunken or drugged or parentally self-absorbed household/community or any other form of severely constricting environment. One must get out forever to fully realize one's true self and destiny.
This film was much more to me than a crime caper. It was a crucial human lesson in how to correct an unfortunate circumstance of birth, that of being forced into a restrictive corner in life due to being born in a certain place. When that happens, everyone must do as Ben did in this story..........work your a$$ off to get out no matter what it costs temporarily. It will pay off in the end much more than any caper ever could, and that is what I thought was the most important message in this terrific film.