As for Renner’s best performance, I’d have to give it up for his terrifying work in Ben Affleck’s The Town. While I’d argue the movie isn’t as strong as Affleck’s others, this year’s Argo and 2007’s quietly brilliant Gone Baby Gone, this isn’t at all because of Renner (in fact, it’s probably because of Affleck’s greatest shortcoming as a director—casting Ben Affleck in his movies). In fact, the most interesting thing about this movie is probably Jimmy.
We saw in The Hurt Locker the seething nature that Renner can convey in a part. He seems cool on the surface but at the same time indicates so much bubbling just beneath the calm facade. Obviously much of this can be attributed to the character context provided by the story and script, but a good actor can really draw this out for the audience. As Jimmy, Renner is pretty terrifying. With the potential to go off at any moment, we don’t really notice it at first, but this guy is a bit of a loose cannon, which gets developed as the movie progresses and as Doug starts to recognize Jimmy more and more as a liability. He’s a criminal and probably a psychopath but Renner captures his intrigue and makes the relationship between him and Doug real for the audience, and all with the help of a charming Boston accent.
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