I don't know why people have such a problem with Ben Affleck. He's a decent enough actor, seems like a pleasant and intelligent bloke in interviews, and he's made some pretty good movies in his career. Good Will Hunting, Chasing Amy, Reindeer Games, Changing Lanes, Daredevil - OK, maybe no out-and-out classics, but he's rarely embarrassed himself. He has done his fair share of tat - Pearl Harbour, Paycheck, Gigli - and of course, he had pretty terrible taste in women (Gwyneth? Bennifer?) that's only been put right by marrying Jennifer Garner... but I still don't get all the hate.
When his career started to go off the rails a few years back (while his GWH co-star Matt Damon went stratospheric), Affleck wisely took himself off the board. If people are sick of your face, give them a rest. Now he's back, let's hope audiences are a little kinder this time round.
The Town is a pretty low key movie, but if it's indicative of the sort of story Affleck wants to tell nowadays - as actor and director - it bodes well for his future. The story centres on a gang of crooks in America's most bank-robbed city, Boston, and a relationship that develops between one of the robbers and a bank manager they take hostage, played by the always excellent Rebecca Hall. (Yes, yes, if my bank manager looked like Rebecca Hall, I'd extend my overdraft. Etc. Etc.) There's strong support from a volatile Jeremy Renner (look, comic fans - it's a Daredevil and Hawkeye Team-Up!), Mad Men's John Hamm (who doesn't look quite right without the slick 60s suits), Chris Cooper, Pete Postlethwaite, The Man In Black from Lost and... Blake Lively. And if I don't get the animosity towards Affleck, I certainly don't get all the fuss over current fashionista it-girl Blake Lively. Each to their own, I guess. If she gets a few more bums on seats for Affleck, more power to them both.
The Town isn't a classic, but it's more thoughtful, intelligent and dramatic that majority of Hollywood churn this summer. Give it a shot or wait for the DVD. You won't be wasting your time.
