Forget everything you feel about Ben Affleck, this is the mother of redemptions.
Based in Affleck’s hometown of Boston, Ben plays Doug McRay, a career bank-robber, whose father was also a famous criminal. He is part of a crew from the Charlestown area of Boston, which is notorious for breeding delinquents.
After a semi successful heist of a local bank, Doug becomes involved with one of the workers from the bank called Claire, whom they took hostage during their getaway. Initially, his interest is to learn about her dealings with the police and FBI in order to asses whether she needs “dealing with”. However, Claire soon sparks a fire inside Doug which causes a tremendous battle within him of whether to remain in the criminal world he knows so well, or to break free and move to Florida.
In Doug’s life, there is also his adopted brother Jim (Jeremy Renner). A volatile member of the crew, Jim makes Doug’s choice even more difficult, by upping the ante as it were within their career. He constantly takes the violent route with victims and the police, and his reckless, almost suicidal nature makes him a very loose cannon for the Charlestown crew. The back story of how Jim went to prison for nine years explains a great deal about his character, and also about his relationship with Doug.
Doug finds his life in chaos as the FBI increase their investigation into his life and his crew, whilst he struggles to juggle the desire for the freedom of a new life, with the restrictions of the one he has.
The film is a superb dive into the heartbreaking world of lower-class, city America. The lives these people live seem painfully predetermined, and the choices they make are not as black-and-white as we may think. Doug’s internal conflict we see repeated in many of the other characters, and the choices he has made in the past are reflected by the lifestyle he now seems chained to.
Affleck has approached this film with a loving familiarity, being his hometown. The characters he portrays are probably ones he knew, or knew about growing up, and the interaction seems extremely genuine. Although, fair warning, the accents are thicker than paint, you may need subtitles.
Whilst the overall plot of this film may seem predictable, with typical themes and a usual structure, it is a movie that is more about the conflict of these characters, and the options they have available to them in the so-called land of opportunity. They are developed well through the story, and few moments are wasted on sentimentality or pointless diversions. A wonderful accomplishment for a relatively new director.
Number 6 on the list, another win.
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