THE TOWN – ben affleck – 8.1 / 10

Though it’s a fairly conventional film in a genre that’s been done to death (Michael Mann’s Heat being the most obvious reference point), The Town, Ben Affleck’s second outing as co-writer / director is nonetheless a very satisfying film.  It’s a solid, sturdy heist movie, constructed with great care and careful attention to detail.  And though it doesn’t quite rise to the heights of Affleck’s previous film (the excellent Gone Baby Gone), The Town is about as good as this type of movie can be.  Its ambitions may be modest, but it more than achieves them.