The Bat Cave

“Not only do you harass women, you have to fuck them too? That’s your thing?”

Plot: A tight knit group of professional bank robbers in Charlestown, Massachusetts find their operations compromised when their leader Doug Macray (Ben Affleck) becomes romantically involved with the primary witness of their most recent heist and the FBI closes in on the foursome.

Ben Affleck is still trying to shake off the affects of starring in numerous shit fests earlier this decade. Between his tabloid romance with J-Lo and some seriously questionable roles, the formerly respectable actor has become somewhat of a joke in Hollywood. Gone Baby Gone (directed by Affleck) was a great movie, but it did nothing to help the status of Ben Affleck, the actor. The Town is a film that should start erasing those bad memories…fast.

Set in Affleck’s home state, with all sorts of Bean Town references throughout the film, The Town is one of the best heist flicks in recent memory. We get solid performances from Affleck and Rebecca Hall, who plays the bank manager Affleck’s character becomes involved with. Jeremy Renner, plays Affleck’s best friend James Coughlin, the wild card of the bunch, with a performance that’s even more animated and impressive than the one he gave in last year’s The Hurt Locker. For someone that was relatively unknown a couple years ago, he sure looks like a star in the making, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he does with the Hawkeye character in 2012’s The Avengers.

The Town has a relatively long running time, but it gives the writers a chance to develop the three main characters while the pacing is still relatively quick. Aside from some really good action sequences, there’s enough humor and gully moments to keep the crowd interested. The bank scenes are definitely the best parts of the movie, with the post-heist chase after the second robbery being the highlight of the film, topped off by an awesome final showdown at Fenway Park. For all the flack you could give Affleck as an actor, his abilities as a writer and director have been remarkable so far. Between this movie, Gone Baby Gone, and Good Will Hunting, he’s batting a very strong three for three. Regardless of his acting resume, Affleck is an established star and if he wants to remain a serious player in Hollywood, the best thing he can do is keep making his own movies and start taking a closer look at the scripts other people are writing before deciding to star in those films.

Grade: A-
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: Definitely would watch again… maybe good enough to own.
Sequel Potential: None
Oscar Potential: With ten nominees for Best Picture, The Town is definitely an easy shoo-in at the moment and might be strong enough to hold on for a spot. I’d give Affleck some play for Best Director depending on what happens in the last couple months and I think a writing nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay is likely. The acting in this movie is solid, but I don’t know if it will be award worthy. Jeremy Renner gets a shout from me for Best Supporting Actor for now. Cinematography and some of the sound work could get some love too.
Nudity?: None