Heist movie has soul

Rating: 8/10 (8 November 2010)

Ben Affleck was superb as Doug MacRay and as the director takes most of the plaudits for The Town, Jeremy Renner however as James Coughlin is a scene stealer with a coiled spring tension about him. Renner could double for Eminem and it's his energy and menace that keeps viewers on edge for much of this movie. Rebecca Hall as bank manager Claire Keesey does well though her youth and unbusiness-like nature make her unconvincing as a bank manager. The assistant bank manager some 30 years her senior would have made more sense as manager while Hall as his assistant would have been more believable. Later on when she quits her position it would again make more sense as her job would have been more disposable. Would have liked to have seen more of MacRay masterminding the heists as opposed to being told that he was the mastermind. Jon Hamm as FBI Agent Frawley is perhaps bringing too much Madmen to the table, more than Denis Leary did in a similar role he fairly nailed in The Thomas Crown Affair. Blake Lively as bank robber sister Krista Coughlin brings reality to every scene she features in. Gripping movie, the heists are nerve wracking, well balanced throughout with both action and emotional cost. The direction was seamless though maybe the ending with the cash going to an under surveillance ex-bank manager was less satisfactory than it might have been, charity donations included. Worth watching.