Affleck does an excellent job, where Jeremy Renner particularly stands out.
I really enjoyed this film, where action, drama and romance are mixed in a well-balanced and intelligent way. The script is set in Boston, and takes us to meet a group of professional bank robbers, some of them with criminality in their blood and with incarcerated parents. The group makes an ostentatious robbery in which they force the manager to open the safe, and to go with them in the escape, as a human shield. Later, fearing that she might recognize them, one of the robbers decides to keep an eye on her, but ends up approaching her and starting a more personal relationship, which could threaten the group's illegal activities.
The screenplay is very well written and is intelligent in the way it presents itself and develops. It is not an original film, it brings elements and themes that have been repeated in cinema several times, and in much better films. Other than that, the film isn't particularly memorable or very impressive. Therefore, we cannot expect a brilliant work, but a good piece of cinema, which entertains us satisfactorily while it lasts.
Ben Affleck takes on the direction as well as the lead role, and he proved to be very confident and capable in both tasks. A recognized actor, he shines in the role of the heartthrob, and makes good use of his personal charisma. Jeremy Renner, however, shines in a very special way, managing to leave us here one of the most complete and powerful works of his career as an actor (not as impressive as “Hurt Locker”, but truly impressive). Rebecca Hall does an equally positive job, she is very beautiful and attractive, but she gives us a character full of content, personality and charisma. John Hamm, Chris Cooper and Blake Lively also don't let themselves be left behind and punctuate their work with high quality notes.
Technically, the film deserves a positive mention for the quality of the visual, special and sound effects, especially with regard to the action scenes. The film has plenty of action for moviegoers, though it's not gory, and the chases and robberies are truly lavish and Hollywood-worthy. The film makes good use of filming locations and sets, and the cinematography is elegant, well-executed, and enhanced by a good job of editing. Unfortunately, everything else, including the soundtrack, is relatively average.