What, No Flem

Rating: 7/10 (26 September 2010)

It's mildly amusing - for about thirty seconds - to imagine an Ivory Twoer-dwelling English Professor in a small mid-West college seeing this advertised at the local Multiplex and buying a ticket in the belief that it is an adaptation of the William Faulkner novel - itself part of a trilogy (The Hamlet, The Mansion) - chronicling the rise of Flem Snopes and his clan in Yaknapathawa County, Mississipi. Ironically Ben Affleck's movie deals with something equally clannish in the shape of 'neighborhood' loyalty in Charleston, Boston. It's essentially a 'heist' movie through the plot of which you could drive a bus let alone an armored car if so moved. For one thing the small 'gang' of robbers seem to have no motivation for knocking over banks and armored trucks other than perhaps an adrenaline rush. In between jobs they pursue everyday jobs and there is no talk of political motivation, getting back at the system, etc. They take a hostage when there is absolutely no reason or need to and so on. Having said that it's well done and enjoyable albeit failing to stand out from a dozen similar movies.