Well, it’s official: after his virtuoso directing/understated acting in last year’s “The Town,” Ben Affleck proves in another subtle turn that he is relevant again with “The Comeback Men.”
Written and directed by longtime TV producer John Wells (“ER,” “The West Wing”), the story follows laid-off executives (including Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Cooper) as they deal with securing work and their newly-lost respect during this recession.
Wells has an easy-going manner presenting his fallen titans of industry, and it is to his credit that he is able to make the audience sympathize with the people who have been the reason the global economy is the way it is today. B+
Director Kevin McDonald (“One Day in September,” “The Last King of Scotland”) plays it straight in the Roman “road trip” journey, “The Eagle.”
McDonald succeeds in telling the story of Roman soldier Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) who ventures back into Briton enemy territory to retrieve a stolen eagle emblem and his family’s respect with the help of a native slave (Jamie Bell). While the action and pace remain consistent and enjoyable, the lack of character development between the two leads comes across as the filmmaker’s greatest obstacle. B-
Ari Silber is a Loyola MBA student.Before graduate school, he worked for nine years in the Los Angeles film industry, focusing on marketing, publicity and distribution.
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