A Decent Gangster Movie

Rating: 7/10 (5 February 2011)

There's a lot to like about this movie. Not the least of which is simply the knowledge gained that Charlestown, Massachussetts - a suburb of Boston - is apparently a breeding round for bank robbers. That may not be a great selling point for Charlestown, Massachussetts - and it may not be an issue that's really addressed or explained in any way in this movie - but it's still an interesting piece of knowledge. One also has to appreciate the performances in this. Ben Affleck was very good as Doug MacRay - a local bank robber who's involved in a heist in which a young woman (Rebecca Hall) is taken hostage, and who then falls for her and begins to develop a relationship with her (she not knowing who she is.) It's an interesting premise and - while the relationship does develop - this never falls into the trap of being a formulaic romance. The story really is about MacRay, whose growing relationship with Claire makes him want to leave the life, much to the chagrin of many of his partners in crime. That was an interesting story, made even more interesting by the fact that Claire discovers from the FBI who MacRay is and then obviously has a choice to make. The choice itself was the proper one, and the movie I thought ended on the proper note as a result.
What I didn't like was the depiction of the last job the gang did. It went on far too long and became (I thought at least) unnecessarily violent; little more than a shootout eventually that went on far too long and detracted from some of the very real human interest that was involved in MacRay's personal story. Yes, it provided an opportunity for a truly hair-raising car chase, but I still thought it was overdone and a bit inconsistent with the rest of the story, which was quite good.