Contemporary Visionmakers-Ben Affleck

I went to see Ben Affleck's new crime thriller, The Town, adapted from the Chuck Hogan novel.

This film is a must-see. It is well-directed, well-scripted and well-acted. Even Ben is good in a kind of "Clint Eastwood School of Acting" sort of way.

The film is set in Charlestown, a neighborhood where you wouldn't your car to break down. It begins with a bank robbery and a kidnapping, stuff you-ve seen a thousand times before. Affleck manages to turn this generic stuff on it's head.

This scene, and many of those that follow, have a tension and muscle about them that you would associate with a more experienced director, like Michael Mann or Martin Scorcese.

This second feature extends Affleck's reputation from Burn Baby Burn– his first feature– and a good one at that.

What impresses me about Ben Affleck is his resiliency. This is a guy whose career was rock-bottom after Pearl Harbor, Gigli, and Daredevil. Not to mention Benifer.

But Affleck is one smart guy. If you have ever seen him interviewed, there is a very bright mind there and that intelligence is made more obvious by this latest film. He could be the next Eastwood.

For those that have met with disappointment in their careers or creative endeavors, Ben Affleck is a great role model. He didn't give up because of bad reviews. He grew.

That's the response of someone committed to following what has heart and meaning, refusing to quit and willing to learn...even in public.

© Patrick O’Neill 2010. All rights reserved