Gripping tension

Rating: 8/10 (27 September 2010)

A good-guy bank robber? It actually works if you have some empathy for the characters and the environment they come from. Ben Affleck is completely credible, with a back story to support why his character does what he does. As an actor, his basic likability makes it possible to understand the internal struggle, and his difficulty in being the caring boyfriend and a brutal thug.
The film has been faintly praised by some for its Boston backgrounds, but that is unfair. With those streets, populated by the likes of Pete Postlethwaite and Chris Cooper, this is an environment that drags you in by your collar.
The action of the heists and the inevitable car chases are as good as Ronin, and that says a lot.