Very very good but not great

Rating: 8/10 (26 September 2010)

This takes place in Charlestown--a small city in Boston. Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) is the leader of a gang of bank robbers. It was a tradition passed down to him by his father (Chris Cooper). At one robbery he falls in love with the manager of the bank named Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall). He starts to romance her NOT letting on he's a robber. His trigger happy gang member friend James Coughlin (Jeremy Renner) is not happy. Meanwhile FBI Special Aggent Adam Frawley (Joe Hamm) is on hot on his trail.
Ben Affleck (who co-wrote, stars in and directs) was born and raised in Cambridge--a suburb of Boston. He knows the city and towns inside out and puts his knowledge to good use. I was born and raised near Boston too and it was fun to see it on the big screen. He correctly uses locations unlike other movies (1994's "Blown Away" had Boston City Hall used as the police department which caused a LOT of laughter when I saw it). He KNOWS how to direct--he uses slow-motion, different pitches of sound and never slows down. There are three exciting fast car chases in the movie which are incredible to watch. The one through the tiny streets of the North End must have been a nightmare to block and clear. There are also tons of shootouts but they (thankfully) aren't that bloody and there's a big explosive ending at Fenway Park. So why is this very very good but not great? The plot. It's been done millions of times before. There are no surprises here and it turns into more of a character study than an action movie. But it's well-acted and extremely well-directed so you're never really bored (even though it does have its slow spots).
Affleck easily gives his best performance EVER here. He flawlessly captures the Charlestown accent and his character is multi-layered and sympathetic. Hall doesn't have too much to work with but she's very good and beautiful. Hamm (who can be good) is just so-so in his role. He looks terrible and sometimes just seems to be going by the numbers in terms of acting. The biggest surprise is Renner. He has the meatiest role (the psycho gang member) and he UNDER plays it...and not very well. He seems muted and is always pulling back. Maybe he was directed that way but it doesn't work. There also Blake Lively as his sister. Her accent is a BIT too strong at times but she's very good.
A very very good movie. Just not for kids. There's tons of swearing and has strong violence. I give it an 8.