The Town

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: September 17, 2010

DVD Release Date: TBD

Plot 411: Four townies rob banks for a living until one of them falls for their hostage.

Review: Doug (Ben Affleck) and his crew, which includes Jim (Jeremy Renner), Gloansy (Slaine) and Desmond (Owen Burke), are bank robbers from Charlestown. Just as their fathers before them, these boys are part of the community's continuous wave of criminals. Due to a mess up during their latest robbery, they are forced to take a hostage - the bank manager named Claire (Rebecca Hall). They let her go unharmed, but Doug volunteers to watch her to make sure she doesn't provide info to the cops. However, Doug doesn't only watch her. He ends up dating her, which puts his crew in additional danger. Even with the constant heat from the FBI (Jon Hamm), the boys continue their crime spree and may be pushing their luck one time too many. I really admire the fact that Affleck gives back to his home state by bringing Hollywood to the east coast. I love that he doesn't shy away from the grittier sides of Boston (in this movie and in Gone Baby Gone). He chooses to represent them as they are - flaws and all - and is able to capture the atmosphere to vividly. I think The Town could just be Affleck's come-back movie. He hasn't had many great roles recently. It seems that he's got to create his own roles in order to be cast in them. Renner was also good in his role as the badder of the two friends. I don't think he achieved the same kind of greatness as he did in The Hurt Locker, but at least his character was memorable. The other two thugs were almost non-existent in this movie. Despite having essential skills to carry out the jobs (one had NASCAR skills and the other knew how to work the electrical systems), they were really just props for the relationship between Affleck and Renner's characters. Also putting in a great performance is former The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants actress Blake Lively.

Watch It: For another good realistic thriller written and directed by Affleck.

Skip It: If whacks to the head make you turn your head.

The Hurt Locker

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: September 4, 2008 (Brazil) / June 26, 2009 (USA)

DVD Release Date: January 12, 2010

Plot 411: An Army bomb squad team count down their days to rotation in 2004 Iraq.

Review: Jeremy Renner plays Staff Sergeant James, an explosive ordinance disposal team leader who joins Bravo company midway through their rotation. His team is made of Sergeant Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Eldridge (Brian Geraghty). Unlike their previous leader, James is a reckless cowboy and Sanborn and Eldridge don't know what to make of his style. As the men proceed through different missions, the audience is able to see what makes each character tick, learn their motivating factors and experience what it might be like to be caught in the middle of a war. The movie was truly a wonderful piece of work, if you can call a war movie wonderful. It shot like a documentary with its gritty feel. The heat of the location came through in the sweat of the actors. Despite being fictitious, the movie had a lot of elements that made it very believable. The constant battle between James and Sanborn brought an interesting dynamic to the group. James liked to do things his way and one could argue that his actions put his team in jeopardy. Sanborn disagreed with his methods, but he wasn't the one face-to-face with an explosive. Even though there was a difference of opinion, James, Sanborn and Eldrige were a team and you had to trust your team with your life. I guess this is an example of intense situations bringing people together. I'm totally amazed that this movie didn't win any major awards.

Watch It: For a realistic portrayal of the war in Iraq and an interesting psychological study of the character. It's hard to understand what would make a person volunteer for this particular job?

Skip It: If you like your war movies to include lots of flying bullets, conflicts and dead bodies. This isn't Saving Private Ryan.