Police, Adjective (2009)

For a film about linguistic integrity, there are very few verbal exchanges in Police, Adjective. It is a satire so dry that it feels like someone trying to recite "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" while sucking dried chickpea powder. It is only funny when there is a dialogue - and it is hilarious at that. At other times, it is a true test of one's patience - think of Gus Van Sant's recent cinematic wank-offs set in a cold, wet Romanian town.

The Town (2010)

The Town is a crackling crime thriller, churning and burning with the perception and execution the guys behind Takers can only pretend to dream of. Like so many of its brethren, director/writer/star Ben Affleck’s caper rolls along the familiar roads of “one last job” cinema, slamming through timeworn potholes as it dodges its police tail while balancing complicated brotherhood relationships and dangerous new romances. It could easily have been “this generation’s Heat” but chooses not to be, even as it lays down fire to the familiar score of Michael Mann cinema. Instead The Town opts for the East Coast blue collar rout, snubbing L.A’s gloss for Celtic pride as it establishes itself as the most Boston of crime dramas.