Nuns with Guns

Are those real nuns?

While the first poster for 'The Town' emphasized the ensemble/dramatic feel of the movie, this one makes a clear statement -- 'The Town' is an action flick. The imagery is arresting -- nuns in goofy masks with automatic weapons. If the heist sequence(s) live up to the visual impact of this one sheet, Ben Affleck may not have just a successful comeback on his hands, he may have a hit crime flick as well.

'The Town' has already been widely compared to Michael Mann's 'Heat'. I didn't buy it as being a possibility at first, but now I'm wondering. I know Affleck can deliver a movie with characters who are as conflicted as De Niro, Pacino, Kilmer, and the rest of the gang were in 'Heat' -- he does that kind of thing well. Like his nuanced directorial debut 'Gone Baby Gone', based on a novel by Dennis Lehane, 'The Town' is based on an award-winning novel by Chuck Hogan, 'Prince of Thieves', so depth of character should be there. But, can Affleck properly direct a bank job where you 'come in strong, through the front door' that will be as gripping and stylish moment to moment as the one in Mann's grand crime opera? Remains to be seen, however this poster suggests the goods are there, and I don't think Affleck would bluff us. He's just doesn't strike me a con-artist.

Hats off on a great poster. What we need now is a trailer that shows off Affleck's chops when it comes to directing action sequences. Deliver that and the box office will follow. Right now, though, the 'nuns with guns' thing works.