'The Town' Movie Review

The Town, co-written and directed by Ben Affleck (Gone Baby Gone) and based on Chuck Hogan's Prince of Thieves, is a fast-paced thriller with outstanding performances by Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm and Blake Lively. It's a heist film loaded with interesting characters, an action film with simply amazing stunt sequences, and a romance with a compelling love story. The Town has a little bit of everything in one immensely entertaining package, with director Affleck proving he's got real style and finesse behind the camera.

Just as with Affleck's rookie directorial effort, Gone Baby Gone, The Town takes place in a lower-class neighborhood in Boston. Affleck's familiar with the area and his love of Beantown lends an air of authenticity to The Town, even when a few of his actors break out with questionable Boston accents (not jarringly bad, at least to my ears as a Californian, but just not quite right). Affleck had to step up his game for this film with its intricate plot, multiple storylines, big cast, bank robberies and chase sequences, and he does a superb job of handling all aspects of the production. And Affleck the actor seems to have tapped into something deeper as the central figure in the film: the leader/brains behind a gang of bank robbers.

The Story

There are more bank and armored car robbers in Charlestown, Massachusetts than anywhere else in the United States according to the opening credits in The Town, and the film centers on one successful gang who call Charlestown home. Doug (Affleck) could have been a professional hockey player but anger management issues kept him from a sports career. Instead, he wound up following in his father's footsteps, robbing banks for a living. He's smart, doesn't take unnecessary risks, and has the respect of his crew. Jem (Jeremy Renner) is Doug's best friend and right-hand man, a real hothead who's quick to shoot his way out of messy situations. Jem served time and never lets Doug forget he owes him big-time for not giving up any names. Jem's sister, Krista (Blake Lively), is hooked on Doug and drugs, although Doug's just not that into her other than as an occasional sexual partner. Pulling the strings behind the scene is Fergie (Pete Postlethwaite) as a money-laundering florist who sets up jobs and rules with an iron fist.

When we catch up with the gang, they're pulling off a carefully planned out bank job. The job goes wrong - the bank manager, Claire (Rebecca Hall), manages to push the silent alarm - and the guys must escape by taking Claire hostage, something completely outside of their normal modus operandi. The blindfolded Claire is eventually let out on a deserted stretch of beach, unharmed but terrified and confused. The robbers have her drivers license and, after heated discussions, Doug says he'll take care of making sure Claire can't identify them and won't cause any trouble.

But Doug actually has an ulterior motive to spying on Claire. Something about her caught his attention during the robbery, and while it's not love at first sight, he's definitely immediately infatuated with the dark-haired beauty who now seems so vulnerable after her frightening experience. Pretending to be just another guy using a laundromat, Doug strikes up a conversation with Claire which leads to an actual date which leads to a real relationship. Or at least as real of a relationship as possible when one half of the couple is lying about nearly everything. Doug doesn't tell Claire that he's the leader of the gang of bank robbers who held her briefly hostage, and when Jem catches up with the couple outside a restaurant, the air is thick with tension as Doug can only wait to see if Claire will piece together the puzzle (the scene's as nail-bitingly suspenseful as any of the action sequences in the film).

Meanwhile, FBI Agent Frawley (Jon Hamm) is hot on the gang's tail. Frawley's absolutely relentless in his pursuit of the bank robbers and that, along with his relationship with Claire and Jem's loose cannon ways, has Doug on edge and ready to leave a life of crime behind. But getting out isn't easy and neither is coming clean with the woman he first terrorized and now loves.

The Bottom Line

The Town plays loosey goosey with some key plot points, but the acting is so terrific it more than makes up for a few minor hitches in the story. And Affleck's direction of the intense chase sequences rivals work done by Michael Mann. But where The Town and Affleck really excel is in the quieter, character-driven moments. Affleck's stacked this film with performers who deliver, with Jeremy Renner following up his Oscar nominated turn in The Hurt Locker with another award-worthy performance. Mad Men's Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall, and Gossip Girl's Blake Lively are riveting and Pete Postlethwaite and Chris Cooper (as Affleck's jailbird father) shine in their brief but integral scenes.

It's not the first time the story's been told, however The Town makes it feel original. And maybe there are a few too many side characters for everyone to be fully fleshed out (more time with Blake Lively's damaged and dysfunctional Claire would have been nice), but Affleck and his co-writers Peter Craig and Aaron Stockard do well with building up the tension and keeping the complex story flowing.

The Town's a solid, suspenseful crime thriller loaded with impressive performances. Affleck's now proven he's a force to be reckoned with as a director, with The Town firmly establishing Affleck as a filmmaker with talent and vision.

GRADE: A-

The Town was directed by Ben Affleck and is rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and drug use.

Theatrical Release: September 17, 2010

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