Ben Affleck. He's not much of an actor, but he knows how to write, and he definitely knows how to direct. This air-tight roller coaster of an heist flick is so well-written, the story's pace and character development so well done, you will not bat an eyelid till it's over. After Gone Baby Gone and this, Affleck is making Boston a favorite for good crime movies. Mad Men's Jon Hamm commands a strong presence as the FBI agent in charge, but watch out for Rebecca Hall: she's moving up in the world pretty fast.
Mo says:
As you said It’s so amazing for me too that Ben Affleck more than being a good actor, is a good screenplay writer & this movie approved again definitely he has a bright future in directing. I loved the end and surprisingly I read now this trivia which shows how interesting is the end in theatrical version ! in my opinion, pretty much better than novel’s. This is the power of writing an intelligent adapted screenplay.
ReplyDeleteSPOILER: The Studio heads initially wanted the novel's ending, which was a darker ending for the film in which Doug (Ben Affleck) is mortally wounded during his shootout with Fergie (Pete Postlethwaite) and ends up dying in Claire's (Rebecca Hall) apartment in her arms, like in the novel. The ending was filmed but test audiences approved the theatrical version of the ending in which Doug survives.
Spoiler Alert!
ReplyDeleteYou know I always like dark endings, and I wouldn't have minded for Doug to die at the end. But now that I think of it, I like the current theatrical ending better - especially the scene where Doug actually sees Claire cooperating with the police, ... but still burys the loot for her to find someday.