The Town

It is more than obvious that this is Affleck looking up in awe at Mann’s Heat. And it is already clear that he definitely has the talent to film a similar, timeless masterpiece. The Town is not yet that masterpiece, not even in the extended version (I haven’t seen the regular one, but I certainly wouldn’t cut even a minute off the longer one). For that this is too much of a Heat beta version 0.5, but... But this is the only negative I can think of. (12/06/2010)

We’ve seen this scheme many times before, and sometimes better (at one point even the main character watches "the" bit on TV), but I like Affleck's sympathetic direction, which doesn't rush the archetypal characters through the plot, but without unnecessary subterfuge, matter-of-factly, and engagingly. The fact that at times it is too tightly gripped in the clenches of tired templates is unfortunate, especially in the moments when the more adept viewer can guess the next steps of the characters before they do. Regardless, that certain old-fashioned style only serves it well. I’m looking forward to Affleck's next film immensely. (12/08/2010)

A melancholic and technically flawless crime drama. The script is not as smart as the script of the masterpiece of the genre, Heat (but I’d rather not compare The Town with it, they are completely different), but it’s still much better than this year’s competition, which is nice. I didn’t like Ben Affleck in the main role so much (I think Jeremy Renner was more charismatic), but he did a great job as director (for instance, I haven’t seen a better car chase this year). In general, I have a problem rooting for the evil characters in films like this, and it was similar in this case. Emotionally, only the last few minutes touched me. It was nice to watch, but it didn’t surprise me at all. In short, a nice, satisfactory thriller, but nothing to write home about. Weak four stars. (12/02/2010)

A decent spectacle, but a few odd illogicalities (the hero never found out himself what happened to his mother), clichés and an overly fairytale ending hurt it somewhat in my eyes. I liked Gone Baby Gone a lot more, and above all it was a film I had to think about for a long time. The Town has nowhere near that impact. But Ben Affleck is a really good director, and especially when it comes to action he does a professional job. (02/08/2016)

Ben’s Town is precision work like the robberies that take place in it. Not that the story is some staggering gem, but everything simply falls in its place and it flows by nicely. The action is first rate, Ben has studied the work of Mann and Greengrass and it must be said that he’s done a damn good job. He should concentrate on the action genre from now on. The casting is superb. I’m a Jon Hamm fan and I think it’s great that at last he got a little more room than usual and rocked, and his partner was the man in black from Lost, which is a nice surprise. Jerry Renner is slowly but surely working his way up to the top (the new M:I will certainly get him there) and then there’s Ben... Ben is a good actor, but he needs a firm director’s hand and he clearly has one. Keep up the good work. Maybe they could cook up something with Matt Damon again. Maybe something with action. Maybe something like Bourne. :) Any questions? No? Great. Let’s go. (12/04/2010)