Saturday, June 11, 2011
TOWNIE
Today's film was Ben Affleck's
starring Ben Affleck. Also Jeremy Renner, the Hurt Locker guy, and Rebecca Hall.
This seems like two movies.
There is the nicely told and acted story of a Charlestown boy who grows up good then goes bad and gets with the wrong people and then finds a good girl not a bad girl and so on.
He is also a member of a bank and armored car robbery gang.
That is where the story goes off the rails and we have the second film which is not nearly as good. The shoot 'em up, balls to the wall, car chase, demolition derby film.
I would have been happier if he had stowed the automatic weapons and kept within the frame of the older story.
Boston gangs are nothing new to movies. It is a natural. The neighborhoods. Actually, the Neighborhoods, with their town loyalty and new generations of boys following in their dad's foot steps.
There is nothing new about this but it is well acted and there are a few twists and we have Chris Cooper and Pete Postelthwaite for side dishes. Very nice.
So if they had laid down their arms it would be a 4 and not too long but, as it is, with all the time spent chasing and shooting, it comes out a 3 out of Netflix5.
Ben is hard as a rock and looking the best he has ever looked. Wow.
Labels: films
