Regie:
Ben AffleckKamera:
Robert ElswitBesetzung:
Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Slaine, Owen Burke, Titus Welliver, Pete Postlethwaite, Chris Cooper, Gary Galone (mehr)Streaming (6)
Inhalte(1)
Nach einem erfolgreichen Coup beginnt der Anführer einer Gruppe von Räubern eine folgenschwere Affäre. Denn bei der Frau handelt es sich um eine Bankangestellte, die der Gangster vor kurzem noch als Geisel genommen hatte. Oscar-Gewinner Ben Affleck inszenierte einen packenden Thriller, bei dem er die Hauptrolle übernahm. Doug MacRay ist der Anführer einer Gang skrupelloser Bankräuber, die extrem erfolgreich agieren - denn bisher wurden sie nicht geschnappt. Weil Doug feste Bindungen scheut, hat er auch keine Verlustängste, was in diesem Metier durchaus von Vorteil ist. Doch seit dem vergangenen Überfall hat sich etwas geändert: Die Bande hatte Filialleiterin Claire Keesey kurzfristig als Geisel genommen. Die hübsche Frau war zwar mit dem Schrecken davongekommen, ist inzwischen aber mit den Nerven am Ende, weil die Bankräuber ihren Namen und ihre Adresse kennen. Als sie jedoch den bescheidenen und recht charmanten Doug kennen lernt, fasst sie schnell Vertrauen zu ihm. Sie ahnt nicht, dass ausgerechnet er sie noch vor ein paar Tagen mit dem Tode bedroht hat. Die beiden sind sich sofort sympathisch und beginnen bald eine leidenschaftliche Affäre. Damit geraten Doug und Claire allerdings auf lebensgefährliches Terrain. (ZDF)
(mehr)Kritiken (10)
Ben’s Town is precision work like the robberies that take place in it. Not that the story is some staggering gem, but everything simply falls in its place and it flows by nicely. The action is first rate, Ben has studied the work of Mann and Greengrass and it must be said that he’s done a damn good job. He should concentrate on the action genre from now on. The casting is superb. I’m a Jon Hamm fan and I think it’s great that at last he got a little more room than usual and rocked, and his partner was the man in black from Lost, which is a nice surprise. Jerry Renner is slowly but surely working his way up to the top (the new M:I will certainly get him there) and then there’s Ben... Ben is a good actor, but he needs a firm director’s hand and he clearly has one. Keep up the good work. Maybe they could cook up something with Matt Damon again. Maybe something with action. Maybe something like Bourne. :) Any questions? No? Great. Let’s go.
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Eine Schulversion vom erwachsenen Heat. Ausgezeichnet besetzt und gespielt, sehr schön aufgenommen. Aber ein unglaubliches Klischee.
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Ein solider Film, bei dem mich aber ein paar unlogische Dinge (der Held hat nie erfahren, was mit seiner Mutter passiert ist), ein paar Klischees und ein zu märchenhaftes Ende gestört haben. Außerdem hat mir Gone, Baby, Gone - Kein Kinderspiel viel mehr gefallen. Und es war ein Film, über den ich lange nachdenken musste. The Town - Stadt ohne Gnade hat bei weitem keine so große Auswirkung. Ben Affleck ist aber ein wirklich guter Regisseur. Besonders wenn es um Action geht, leistet er professionelle Arbeit.
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A melancholic and technically flawless crime drama. The script is not as smart as the script of the masterpiece of the genre, Heat (but I’d rather not compare The Town with it, they are completely different), but it’s still much better than this year’s competition, which is nice. I didn’t like Ben Affleck in the main role so much (I think Jeremy Renner was more charismatic), but he did a great job as director (for instance, I haven’t seen a better car chase this year). In general, I have a problem rooting for the evil characters in films like this, and it was similar in this case. Emotionally, only the last few minutes touched me. It was nice to watch, but it didn’t surprise me at all. In short, a nice, satisfactory thriller, but nothing to write home about. Weak four stars.
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We’ve seen this scheme many times before, and sometimes better (at one point even the main character watches "the" bit on TV), but I like Affleck's sympathetic direction, which doesn't rush the archetypal characters through the plot, but without unnecessary subterfuge, matter-of-factly, and engagingly. The fact that at times it is too tightly gripped in the clenches of tired templates is unfortunate, especially in the moments when the more adept viewer can guess the next steps of the characters before they do. Regardless, that certain old-fashioned style only serves it well. I’m looking forward to Affleck's next film immensely.
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It is more than obvious that this is Affleck looking up in awe at Mann’s Heat. And it is already clear that he definitely has the talent to film a similar, timeless masterpiece. The Town is not yet that masterpiece, not even in the extended version (I haven’t seen the regular one, but I certainly wouldn’t cut even a minute off the longer one). For that this is too much of a Heat beta version 0.5, but... But this is the only negative I can think of.
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Ben Affleck scored again for me, this time twice over. I can't even decide if he was better as an actor or director. The screenplay is admittedly corny a few times and not brimming with originality, but I still enjoyed it. I gobbled this film up from beginning to end. The action was spread out evenly and because of that there was no time for boredom. The dramatic scenes were not needlessly thrown in and the dialogue was believable enough. Additionally, I was pleased with Blake Lively's minor role and the impressive music throughout. A very strong 4 stars.
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The inspiration from Heat is quite evident, but I wouldn't say this film copies it blindly and attempts to sponge off it, but rather that Ben Affleck is a fan of Mann and his famous film, so he wanted to pay tribute to his role model with his film The Town. Unlike Heat, which was based on the confrontation of two tough men, masters in their field, Affleck focuses more on the romantic relationship between the criminal and his female victim, which gradually turns into love. It can even be said that The Town sometimes inappropriately romanticizes the underworld and relationships between criminals based on friendship and solidarity. Reality is much more down-to-earth, yet in terms of the story, action, and acting performances, I am satisfied and have no problem giving it 4 stars. It's not a film that revolutionizes its genre, but true professionalism emanates from it, and for a genre fan, it's a safe bet. Overall impression: 80%.
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The similarity of the plot with Heat bothered me. Otherwise, The Town is a film that needs to mature a bit, just like its more famous predecessors. Heist crime is a genre that cannot be devoured like candy and watched every Saturday throughout the first year, everything needs to be “felt” somehow. And the bluish camera filters, the behaviour of the main characters, the sense of their actions, as well as the weapons, the “mafia sector”, and other things around – they are directly tied to the time when the film was made, and only with the passage of time and the addition of a bit of sentiment and perspective can one truly enjoy it. Right now, The Town is somewhat similar to a young wine, immature somehow. It is a classic story, but Ben Affleck has heart and it shows in every other shot. As a film, The Town is well executed, the action is gripping, and the catharsis is not lacking either. And do people know, or foresee, how it will all end? Can we have a variation in such a laid-out film that we haven't seen somewhere else already? Right now, I think we have exhausted almost everything. Don’t expect something original, better focus on other qualities in the given genre, and this film undoubtedly has them.
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Seen in the extended version --- I struggled with my final rating until the last minute. But I'm faaar from rating this brilliantly directed ride below average, on the grounds that it's all too idealized, predictable, emotional to the point of revulsion in places, and that Affleck "just doesn't have it in him". He delivers more than perfectly in terms of craft and if he can’t keep from some more emotionally intense and at the same time simpler moments here and there :)), what the hell. More than well shot action (the very opening ambush scene is breathtaking), proportionately developed psychology of the main characters (not too "deep" but not too simple or ridiculous), Elswit's excellent cinematography, and Affleck's thorough direction – for me it was enough. :) 90% and I'll see what I think the second time around.
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