Affleck back at home in 'The Town'

Ben Affleck may have just done it. After nearly 30 years in the business, he may have finally broken the Affleck Curse. What is this curse? Need I remind you of "Forces of Nature," "Bounce," "Daredevil" and, of course, "Gigli"? Affleck, as dashing as he is, does not seem to possess the stuff that leading men are made of. To be fair, the films in which he plays smaller roles don't seem to suffer the same curse. In fact they tend to do very well: "Good Will Hunting," "Dogma" and "Shakespeare in Love" were all commercial and critical successes. Luckily, Affleck's newest film, "The Town," may have finally broken the curse.

Based on Chuck Hogan's popular novel "Prince of Thieves," "The Town" follows Doug MacRay (Affleck), the leader of a group of bank robbers. They unexpectedly take Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) hostage during a heist but decide to let her go. The traumatized Keesey lives in fear until she meets MacRay and instantly falls for him - but little does she know he is one of the men who took her hostage.

MacRay feels the same way for Keesey, and soon he realizes he wants to give up on crime for good. But, as always, there isn't an easy way out. MacRay has a whole bunch of obstacles: his fellow bank robber (Jeremy Renner), his ex-girlfriend (Blake Lively) and a hard-ass cop who's on his tail (Jon Hamm). Not the most original story, admittedly, but what "The Town" lacks in plot, it makes up for in gritty atmosphere and nail-biting tension.

It's hard to make a film both action-packed and suspenseful - it's usually either a fun, blow-it-up romp or a dark, tense thriller; rarely is it both. "The Town" skillfully toes the line between the two. It has the car chases, shootouts and elaborate disguises (forget the nuns, give me creepy skulls any day) as well as complex characters whose next action you can never quite predict. All of this works to create a dynamic and entertaining film.

"The Town" also gives Affleck the opportunity to get back to his Boston roots, and it suits him well. Last time he donned that earsplitting Bahston accent was in "Good Will Hunting," which he wrote with his friend Matt Damon. In "The Town," Affleck also juggles multiple jobs as actor, co-writer and director.

In the lead role, Affleck honestly and subtly conveys the tensions between loyalty, love, friendship and freedom. He isn't afraid to let the silence and the close-up shots speak for themselves; the look of intense hatred he gives Hamm during a scene while Hamm is threatening his friends is pitch-perfect. What's unfortunate is that the rest of the cast isn't quite on par.

Blake Lively, the darling of the teenage-drama genre, looks like a cracked-out single mother - unfortunately, she doesn't act like one. She wavers between a strong, emotional performance and falling back on her "Gossip Girl" roots and flatly looking at the camera in hopes that it will portray vulnerability. It also doesn't help that her accent is a big heap of awful. Luckily, Rebecca Hall, Affleck's love interest, manages to hold her own.

Indeed, Hall's performance has a quiet authenticity to it that really works. Her physical portrayal of post-traumatic stress disorder is raw and convincing. In the movie's most powerful scene, she confronts MacRay about his betrayal. Huddled in the bathroom, crying, and waving a cell phone, Hall delivers a haunting and heart-wrenching performance.

This film is by no means a "Gone Baby Gone" - it breaks no new ground - but it is enjoyable. Both films are based on novels set in Boston where Affleck has home-field advantage. It is clear he knows the people and the areas well, which gives a sense of realism to his performance and the locations he chooses.

Winning at the box office last weekend, "The Town" has solidly established Affleck as a formidable director, and - finally - as a reliable lead actor. But as high school chemistry teaches you, results must be replicable, so we'll just have to wait with our fingers crossed to see if the Affleck Curse really has been lifted. Maybe all he really needs to do is stick to Bean Town. Nice jawb, Bennie.

4 Paws

Pros: Some great heist and chase scenes.