Saw it. non-spoilery review

So I caught a screening of this in Los Angeles a few weeks ago. This may go through some changes by the time it releases so take whatever i say here with a grain of salt.

Overall, pretty impressive film by Affleck. The story focuses on his character Joe who reluctantly (at first) becomes caught up the violent underworld mob scene in Boston and later in Florida. The film is wonderfully designed in its period details and costumes but not distractingly so; it feels lived-in and natural. The cinematography by Robert Richardson is also very nicely done especially when the action switches locations from gritty Boston to steamy Florida. The action scenes were well-choreographed and shot. Affleck's acting is very solid; the only thing odd was that Affleck's Batman physique was a bit distracting---his hulking frame dwarfs many of the other characters and I don't know if this served the movie well in illustrating the character dynamics from scene to scene. It wasn't always easy to see Affleck's character as under threat (as he was in a number of scenes) because he looked...well, like Batman.

Of the supporting cast, Chris Messina was the most impressive; I almost didn't recognize him at first as his look and physicality were so altered in this movie. Chris Cooper also does solid work here as his character goes through some fascinating turns in the story. If there's a weak spot, it's Zoe Saldana as Graciela. She looked heart-stoppingly beautiful (as usual) but her characterization felt very lacking and I didn't feel very invested in her character's relationship with Joe. Of the women in the movie Sienna Miller fared best. She played her tough-as-nails character with a lot of hard-bitten authority and she showed herself to be as strong (if not stronger) than most of the male characters in the movie. Unfortunately, her role is very brief. Elle Fanning conveyed a strong sense of tragedy in her character even though she was only tangential to the main action in the movie.

Overall, it's another accomplished and polished work by Ben Affleck. I think it will be well-received when it's released.