‘The Town’ – Affleck’s redemption complete

It’s official. Ben Affleck can flat out direct.

“The Town,” the actor’s second directorial effort, is the keenly observed thriller we’ve been missing in 2010. Affleck casts himself as a bank robber with a conscience, a man re-learning the lesson other thugs long ago mastered.

It’s far easier to enter a life of crime than it is to exit one.

But what Affleck still struggles with are his film’s endings, leaving “The Town” as a great movie with a so-so finale.

Affleck stars as Doug, a Charlestown, Mass. resident who fell into a life of crime along with some of his shady peers. His latest bank heist yields an unexpected outcome – a budding relationship with the bank teller his goon pals kidnapped mid-robbery.

Claire (Rebecca Hall) seems a poor match for a blue-collar Bostonite like Doug. But she’s vulnerable after the kidnapping, and his sweet, self-effacing demeanor wins her over.

Their cautious romance might be undone by the cops closing in on Doug’s fellow hoods or the group’s loose cannon (Jeremy Renner).

“The Town” is Affleck’s baby – he also co-wrote the film and gives his character the most screen time. But Renner’s presence as James, the pint-sized crook who bullies his fellow bank robbers, proves the most electric.

Affleck gives the best performance of his career here, but whenever he shares the screen with Renner it’s impossible to look anywhere but at the “Hurt Locker” star. Renner is all coiled energy and suspicious stares, and you’ll swear he grew up in Charlestown and just happened upon the set.

“The Town” could easily contend for Best Picture honors if only the last half hour didn’t seem so … conventional. The story arcs start to fade in those waning moments, and the action sequences, while first-rate, seem almost translucent in their eagerness to please.

And why do audiences see so little of John Hamm, the FBI agent on the trail of Doug’s goon squad? The handsome actor is still waiting for a big screen role worthy of his talents, assuming his work on “Mad Men” is the launching pad for greater things. Hamm’s role here has weight but lacks the kind of nuance brought to the other characters in the film.

And speaking of characters, old pros like Pete Postlewaite and Chris Cooper give impressive turns despite minimal screen time. Even Blake Lively, best known for her small screen work, disappears into her role as a Charlestown single ma with too many problems to tally.

Affleck the director nails the small details that make “The Town” superior to most thrillers, and it’s more than ensuring the cast nail the local accents. Consider when Doug moves through the bowels of Fenway Park to set up a heist – he takes a loving glance at the green grass on the field as he passes through.

We forgive you for “Gigli,” Ben. Now, keep up the fine work behind the camera.

(Photo: Jon Hamm plays a determined FBI agent trailing a team of bank robbers in “The Town.” Warner Bros.)