Just another crime movie some critics said. Well, it is that and more. It’s a character study, a romance, has a hint of humor and it was more interesting than I thought it would be. I was surprised that it was Ben Affleck who directed the film. Affleck did a fine job of directing and acting in this movie. In fact I thought that Affleck was better than usual in this film, an adaptation of author Chuck Hogan's novel “The Prince of Thieves”, but it is Jeremy Renner and John Hamm who are the standouts in this movie. It's about 2 hours long, but you really don't notice that because the movie progresses well.
There’s action and a blossoming love story, which is complicated by the circumstances in which the characters meet. I won’t say more, it might spoil the film for those of you who haven’t seen it. They are bank robbers, violent bank robbers who use semi automatic weapons to shoot and hit people. The movies is set in Charleston and Boston, Massachusetts, where Affleck grew up, so he has a genuine accent. That’s good. Don’t you just hate it when they can’t get their accents straight? This is a very character driven film, which held my attention as much as the action.
Ben Affleck, as Doug Mcray, is a failed professional Hockey player turned criminal and has strong ties to his family of fellow criminals. John Hamm plays a rather zealous, slightly cartoonish FBI agent, who to me seemed a little more amusing most of the time than serious. I hope he meant to play him that way, because I looked forward to each of his scenes. Doug’s best friend Jem, played by Jeremy Renner, is a little psychotic and he likes to shoot and beat people up. Jeremy is nominated for best supporting actor. You may recall that he was nominated for best actor last year for “The Hurt Locker.”
I would definitely recommend this movie for an entertaining good time if you like this genre of movie, but it isn’t in the best picture caliber. Sorry Ben. Jeremy deserves his nomination for best supporting actor, but I’m betting Christian Bale in “The Fighter” or Geoffrey Rush in “The King’s Speech” will win.
I would definitely recommend this movie for an entertaining good time if you like this genre of movie, but it isn’t in the best picture caliber. Sorry Ben. Jeremy deserves his nomination for best supporting actor, but I’m betting Christian Bale in “The Fighter” or Geoffrey Rush in “The King’s Speech” will win.
Rating – 3 stars
