2010 Rewind: "The Town"

Americans love a good crime story. Perhaps they're nothing more than a twisted reflection of our inner wants and desires, but I feel like criminals intrigue us because they embody freedom. They do as they please and they're often rewarded for their efforts; the American dream in all of its shady glory. As a result, making a crime thriller seems like the easiest way to print cash but its not always the case. Criminals by their very nature are bad people, and while they may be fun to watch, we also need some semblance of humanity in order to attach ourselves towards whatever their plight is. No matter what a persons' actions may say, deep down we have a hard time sympathizing with those who step outside the boundaries of civility, which is why the great crime stories of our country's filmography tend to focus on strong character development.

Hot off the heels of his previous Boston based film "Gone Baby, Gone" Ben Affleck proves once again that what he may lack in acting skills he more than makes up for in direction. Clearly a learned man, Affleck shows all the potential of a young Scorsese with his latest film "The Town".

On the surface, "The Town" is nothing more than a movie about a bank robber who is trying to find a way out of the business. On a technical level however, there is a lot more going on. The various character relationships and goals of everyone involved spins a delightful web of suspense and white-knuckle entertainment from start to finish. Each person no matter how important or minor, is given some business and feels like a fully fleshed out individual who contributes immensely towards the overall objective of the film. Top it off with the near perfect performances with some clever dialogue and scenes of tension and you've got an instant classic.

One can only hope that we will continue to see more work from Ben Affleck along the lines of "The Town". Now if only the Academy Awards could recognize him for his efforts then we'd all be good.