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Directed by: Ben Affleck 
Written by: Peter Craig, Aaron Stockard, Ben Affleck, based on Chuck Hogan's novel, Prince Of Thieves
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| Tookey's Review |
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| Pro Reviews |
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| Mixed Reviews |
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| Anti Reviews |
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| Trailer |
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| Cast |
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| Released: |
2010 |
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| Genre: |
CRIME
THRILLER
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| Origin: |
US |
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| Colour: |
C |
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| Length: |
125 |
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A second triumph for director Affleck.
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Reviewed by Chris Tookey
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Ben Affleck(pictured right) made a hugely impressive directorial debut with Gone Baby Gone. His second, The Town, suffers from a formulaic script, but is just as excitingly directed, with a terrific feel for its Boston locations, suspenseful heist sequences and marvellous acting.
Affleck even draws a reasonable performance from himself, as a career criminal who makes a living pulling off armoured car and bank jobs with a hotheaded friend – that’s Jeremy Renner, proving his Oscar nomination for The Hurt Locker was no fluke.
But then Affleck’s character falls for a female bank manager he has just robbed (Rebecca Hall, pictured left, warm and intelligent as always) who could, if she recognises him or his buddy, put them away in prison for a long time.
The over-familiar plot is freshened up by excellent performances from Pete Postlethwaite as a splendidly repellent, manipulative local crime boss posing as a harmless old florist, Jon Hamm (from Mad Men) as the indefatigable FBI man on Affleck’s trail, and Blake Lively (the blonde soccer enthusiast in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) as a tarty single mum with the hots for Affleck.
This is a tough urban thriller that ranks with the best recent efforts in the genre. It lacks the originality of Michael Mann’s Heat; but it’s at least on a level with Eastwood’s Mystic River and Scorsese’s The Departed. It is certainly one of the most ably directed films of the year.
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, Jeremy Renner 
