The Town

Ben Affleck's The Town opens with the claim that 300 bank robberies take place in the Boston  neighborhood of Charlestown every year, but even if his facts are a  little suspicious (there were only 23 bank robberies reported in the  entirety of Massachusetts in the first quarter of 2010), Affleck  certainly seems to have rediscovered his artistic muse.

The fact that the muse in question is undoubtedly Michael Mann's seminal Heat doesn't detract from The Town's  power and intensity, even if you can't quite shake off the feeling that  we've seen this all before. There are far worse films to emulate,  though, and The Town manages to mix Heat's cat-and-mouse game of cops-and-robbers with a little of The Departed's Boston color.

And let's face it - Hollywood would be a much more interesting place if more directors took their cue from Michael Mann.

In addition to directing, Affleck takes on the lead role in The Town,  and delivers one of his most convincing performances in years. He  doesn't always look like the bank-robbing ex-drug addict he's supposed  to be, but his firm grip on the material lends the role an honesty and  intensity that he has sometimes lacked.

As for the rest of the cast, they often threaten to overshadow the  film's director, a questionable career move if ever there was one. Jeremy Renner is outstanding as trigger-happy Jem, and it's little wonder that he  received both Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for the role. It's nice  to see that The Hurt Locker wasn't just a blip on his career trajectory.

Chris Cooper and the late Pete Postlethwaite put in strong cameos too, and even the  bit-part character actors pull their weight in a story that drags us in  by the scruff of the neck and refuses to let go. Throw in rising English  actress Rebecca Hall, and it's little wonder that The Town was such a box office hit.

We don't want to give away too much of the story here, as it relies  heavily on its many twists and turns, but thankfully it still rests upon  a relatively simple premise. It's not a spoiler to say that the plot  revolves around a Boston bank robbery crew (Affleck, Renner, rapper  Slaine, and Owen Burke) who take a hostage (Hall) on one of their jobs.  Amidst fears that she may be able to identify them, Doug (Affleck) tails  her, but it isn't long before he's falling for her and dreaming of an  escape route from his life of crime.

Jem (Renner) isn't going to let him go without a fight, however, and as  Doug struggles with his love life and his sense of morality FBI Special  Agent Frawley (Mad Men's Jon Hamm) gets closer and closer to putting the crew away.

The similarities to Heat really are striking, but that's not a reason to spurn The Town.  This is the best filmmaking we've seen from Affleck in a long time, and  one of the most striking crime dramas in recent years. Residents of  Charlestown may have reason to feel aggrieved, though.

4/5

Plot: When growing up in Charlestown, Massachusetts, bank robbery is almost inevitable.  After his crew pulls another bank job, Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) becomes infatuated with Claire (Rebecca Hall), one of the bank managers.  This puts Doug at odds with James (Jeremy Renner) his fiery best friend and fellow crew member.  Meanwhile, FBI Agent Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm) is determined to catch Doug and his men.

The Town is a good crime drama.  The strongest part is the directing by Ben Affleck.  He really sets up the environment and tone of this film perfectly.  The setting of Charlestown, Massachusetts, considered one of the biggest havens for bank robberies in the country is truly the star of the film.  The place looks desolate and sad.  It’s no wonder everything here often leads to crime. 

This movie showed me why Jeremy Renner is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors.  He does what he does best; plays crazy, just like in the Hurt Locker.  Every time Renner's character is on screen, you feel like he could blow up at any moment.  He was a ticking time bomb, just fascinating to watch.  The performance also gives you empathy for him even though this guy does some bad stuff.  Jon Hamm is also stellar as the classic driven FBI agent who wants nothing more than to take down these bank robbers, but Hamm manages to keep it fresh.  There is one scene in particular where he berates Affleck’s character, which is probably my favorite scene in the movie.

One of the weaknesses for me though was Affleck's acting.  The guy is a great director, and he gives an okay performance in this movie.  You really like and root for his character which cannot be said of other Affleck performances.  But because he is the main character and holds so much weight in the film, I just kind of felt 'meh' on the acting.  He has a lot of scenes with Renner, and he just can't keep up.  The relationship between these two characters is the heart of the movie though.  You can tell Doug really hates being this guy's friend, but there is also tremendous loyalty between them.

This was the only relationship I really cared about though.  You don’t learn anything about the other two robbers in the crew and they have almost no distinct personality.  And even though Rebecca Hall gives a good performance as the love interest to Affleck, there was nothing special about it.  I just wasn't emotionally invested on whether or not they would make it.  The movie tries to sell sympathy for them with depressing back stories, but they weren’t subtle and felt forced.  At times they were going through the motions.  And that's really my issue with the film overall.  Aside from Renner's character, I just wasn't attached to any of these people like in other crime dramas, ala the Departed. 

Although there are moments of greatness surrounding the Town, it was mired in a lot of mediocrity.  There's a solid car chase in here, and the climax is pretty damn good which really brought the movie up for me.  The final scene had the tension I'd been looking for throughout the movie.  This is a good film that's strength is in the directing but not in the characters.

Rating: 7 out of 10 (Good)       
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Review:  I really can't believe I'm saying this but Ben Affleck may be on his way to be a pretty decent director. Enough so, in fact, that I would say it would be a better career move for Affleck to put his acting career on the back burner and concentrate on directing. Admittedly, I never saw "Gone, Baby Gone," but I heard all good things and this movie was much better than I thought it would be. I don't know what it is about the Boston projects that makes for compelling drama, but it does. "The Departed" opened up this world that would have made "Boondock Saints" more successful today, That's why my expectations were a little tempered going into this movie, it felt like it might just be a "Departed" rip off. Good for all of us, it wasn't.

"The Town" involves a group of bank robbers in an area of Boston called Charlestown. Charlestown is one of those places that sucks people in to such a great extent that it ceases to become where they're from and becomes who they are. These people don't just identify themselves as being from there but they define themselves in this manner. This is where residents of this area can get into trouble. A place like Charlestown has a blue collar attitude where you do what you have to do to survive. Sometimes what you have to do is less than desireable, but you find yourself in so deep you can't stop. That's what this movie is about, getting sucked into this position and realizing at some point that you can fight your way out, you don't have to lay down to the "The Town."

Thats what this movie is concerned with, the journey of the central character Doug Macray (Ben Affleck). Doug is constantly dealing with Charlestown pulling him back into it's cesspool. There is always another bank to rob, there is always one more friend you still owe a favor to, and there is always a girl who keeps trying to keep you around. Doug wants to leave the whole city behind and go with his new girlfriend Claire, who it turns out may be the only one that could be the undoing of Doug and his bank robbing crew. 

However, Doug's best friend took the rap for him years earlier and Doug still feels like he owes him. An old flame of Doug's Krista (Blake LIvely who gives probably the best performance of the movie in a supporting role) tries to guilt Doug into staying by saying she wants to change her life just like he does and that she needs him to help with her daughter (who may even be his from their previous relationship). All this is working against Doug to in his attempt to leave and start anew. Oh yeah, and there is a ton of heat related to their most recent bank robbery that threatens to put him and his friends away for a long time. "This could cost you 30 to life" they keep reminding each other. This type of phrase has ingrained itself into the Charlestown lexicon as this is how things are measured. How long are you gonna be away from "the town" if you get pinched. That seems to be all anyone cares about, which is why Doug wants to get out.

After getting sucked into "one more" bank robbery Doug's plan to get out get complicated, especially when his girlfriend finds out he is a bank robber and knowing she could turn him in. It's a tough spot to be in but Doug puts the plan in motion to get out once the job is completed. That's where I will stop as I don't want to spoil the rest for those of you who want to see the movie.

As mentioned earlier, Affleck's directing leads one to believe he has the skills to eventually become a quality director. There are some very well directed scenes of remarkable tension, with the most tense scene being where Doug's new girlfriend is on the verge of finding out Doug is a bank robber but Doug calmly handles the situation.  There is great filmmaking there. He also was able to get some very solid performances from his supporting cast. Chris Cooper has a very good performance in a very short supporting role as Doug's father, as well as Jeremy Renner playing a great role as Doug's best friend and hot head.

However, the best performance of the film goes to Blake Lively as Doug's old flame Krista who is fully corrupted by Chralestown.  Krisa has succumbed to drug abuse even though she is still trying to raise a young daughter and is continually on the lookout for that man who can come sweep her away from it all (or at least make her forget about the rest of it for a night). Her performance that shows someone who is so hopeless and so subdued by this town that she has given up all hope and only wishes for that man to come along and take her away, is Academy Award worthy.

The only part where the movie fell flat for me was the love story. Doug and his girlfriend have an extremely short courting period and these two people from different sides of the track have no problem quitting their jobs and agreeing to leave with one another. I suppose this is just something that has to be in fastforward since it's only a two hour movie, but still, it just didn't feel right and felt forced. That being said, this movie is definitely worth your time.

Last updated: 2010-09-22 07:26:35 by ReeltimeReport

If you are anything like me, Ben Affleck is not your favorite actor. He doesn't even crack the top 20; but regardless of whatever you think about him, the man can direct. His debut with Gone Baby Gone was powerful, inspired, and could have easily been a fluke. Now that The Town has hit theaters, the truth is out: it wasn't a fluke and we are looking at a career that will result in many great movies in the future.

The Town is about a town (go figure) that has produced an inordinate amount of criminals who specialize in bank or armored car robberies. They are all from Charlestown, a neighborhood of Boston and apparently pretty dangerous if you are employed at a place that stores money for people. Doug Macray (Ben Affleck) and James Coughlin (Jeremy Renner) are professional bank robbers who have very successfully stolen lots of money with their two nameless cohorts. The movie starts with a very well executed heist but after James takes a hostage (Rebecca Hall), the heat in the form of FBI agent Adam Fawley (Jon Hamm) begins to close in on them. As the heists get more dangerous, and Doug slowly falls in love with the hostage, the town becomes a place to leave behind.

Think Oceans 11 with less finesse and more guns. The bank robberies don't have much style, but they have the skill and the firepower to back up any mistakes they might make. It has been a while since I've seen a good heist film and Ben Affleck has done a great job making it very visually appealing. The guns are loud and the editing superb. I hate it when films shake the camera in an attempt to make the audience feel like the scene is intense. It just makes the scene confusing and no one appreciates it. I applaud Affleck for a well paced car chase and a splendid end shootout.

Unfortunately for Affleck and most of the rest of the cast, only two actors really shine. Jeremy Renner, fresh off The Hurt Locker, plays a hardcore Irish criminal with a penchant for overreacting and outacting everyone around him. His downfall is that he loves Doug. They are basically brothers and while Doug wants to get out of the game, James guilt trips him back in. He may be a sick, twisted criminal but he was raised in brotherhood created by the town around him. Which brings us to Jon Hamm. He may technically be the good guy in the film, but the entire audience is rooting against him. His methods are brutal and you really adopt the Charlestown attitude to law enforcement (basically, don't snitch) because of him. I saw an interview with Jon Hamm where he explained that after the movie, Bostonites would come up and tell him that they don't like him strictly because of his character.

The film suffers when the action slows down. Affleck and Hall's relationship feels a little forced. Every time they open up to each other about their pasts; it wasn't really heartfelt and dragged the mood down. The thick boston accents started to get annoying by the second scene and a lot of dialogue was lost because of it. I don't like to watch movies with subtitles on (unless they're British because then I have to) and I shouldn't need to.

The Town is still a very good movie, despite its shortcomings. It is no Gone Baby Gone but it is a Boston classic and you should go see it.

3 out of 4 stars

-Christopher O'Connell

Ben Affleck stays busy both in front of and behind the camera in The Town. It's his second directorial effort and he certainly proves he can do more than just act.  The movie takes place in Charlestown,  a blue-collar neighborhood in Boston which is often called the bank  robbery capital of the world.  Naturally, Affleck plays Doug MacRay who  specializes in pulling off bank and armed car robberies.  His best  friend, "Jem", is played by Jeremy Renner.   He is Doug's right-hand man but also a loose cannon.  He's the kind of  friend who has your back but can screw the whole plan up with his  ticking time-bomb temper.  You need him because you know he'll have your  back but you have to worry about what he might do next.
The movie begins with the men wearing masks and pulling off a bank  robbery in which Renner's character takes one of the employees hostage  just in case anything goes wrong.  They let the hostage go but decide to  keep an eye on her in order to make sure that she didn't pick up on who  they are.  Affleck watches her from afar but eventually gets too close,  and when she speaks to him at a local laundromat they start getting to  know each other.  She doesn't know it was him in the bank obviously, so  he continues to see her and their relationship begins to grow.  She's  played by Rebecca Hall,  a British actress who excels here at playing the bewildered Boston  girl.  The heart of the film is their relationship and the growing  concern of Doug not knowing if and when he will tell her his dark secret  which she was involved in.
The relationship between Doug and his life-long friend Jem is also key  to the film.  It begs you to ask the question "Do you stay with the  people who have been with you from the beginning, even though they  can cause nothing but trouble?"  Some stick with their family and close  friends no matter what; others know there is a time to move on  regardless of your lengthy history together. 
Full credit goes to Ben Affleck for playing an effective leading man  and also for directing a great film.  His last outing as a director, Gone Baby Gone (which starred his brother Casey), was just as good.  With The Town,  he mixes together some well-made action scenes along with emotional  drama.  Even the car chase scenes are surprisingly good, with  Charlestown's narrow, winding streets making for high suspense.  The  sound in the shoot-out scenes is also superb.  You feel like you're  right there with the characters amidst heavy gunfire.  The setting is  great as well.  We see what it's like to live in a town where many  people feel stuck and have no ambition, only seeing crime as a way to  bring some sort of prosperity to their lives.  Many of them just don't  anticipate the consequences.  Either that or they just don't care.

http://www.examiner.com/movie-in-philadelphia/danny-porcaro

I'll see you again....
on this side or the other...
 
There's something about Bank Robbers that screenwriters, directors, and producers, as well as audiences just love. From Bonnie and Clyde (1967) to Heat (1995), from Charlie Varrick (1973) to Point Break (1991), and from Dog Day Afternoon (1975) to the just released The Town, movie makers and movie watchers, continue to agree that bank heist films are ever so popular and worth seeing. None of us want to be a victim or present during a bank robbery, but we are quite willing to cough up some dead presidents to watch these goings on either in a movie theater or at home on a DVD.
 
Ben Affleck, in his sophomore turn as a film director, has given us an entertaining, engrossing, and excellent effort in the bank job genre. Ben not only helmed the film, he also co-wrote the screen-play with Peter Craig, Aaron Stockard, and Chuck Hogan whose novel Prince of Thieves was the source for this movie. Affleck also starred in the film as Doug MacRay leader of a crew whose forte was armed robbery.
 
MacRay and Jem (Jeremy Renner) along with two other guys one of whom provided the muscle and did the driving, while the other was the technical wizard who disarmed building surveillance and other electronic monitoring, were a good crew. They were smart, tough, and knew how to keep their mouths shut. In fact, Jem did a nine year stretch in prison after a job went south, and he did the time rather than rat out his friend Dougie.
 
But Jem is a bit of a loose cannon. After doing his prison term he said he wasn't going back into the can - he'd rather die in the streets if it came down to that. So early on in the film, during the commission of a bank heist, we see the violence that Jem was capable of. He bludgeoned a bank official repeatedly with the butt end of his automatic weapon, and he was the one who grabbed the female bank manager, Claire Keesey, who was portrayed by Rebecca Hall, as a hostage during their escape from the bank.
 
Renner is a tough guy no doubt. His Boston accent was almost unintelligible at times. But what Renner brought to the party was his steely determination, his character, and his loyalty to the crew. His menace was always present and not always  submerged. Jem as played by Renner had all the subtlety of a cobra.
 
MacRay, was the more cerebral of the two. MacRay could see a different kind of life in his future, a life that would proceed without knocking off banks. But Dougie was no saint. He grew up with violence and with crime as a way of life. After Dougie's Mother left the house when he was a kid, and after Doug's father (Chris Cooper had the role) went to jail for life, Jem's family took Doug MacRay in and raised him. So Doug and Jem, while not blood brothers, were the next best thing.
 
Affleck had the look of a someone who grew up on Boston's mean streets. He had the right sound for a Charlestown kid (Hollywood hadn't scrubbed all of his accent out of him), and more than anything else,  his  work as an actor in this film was superb. Trust me, you will be rooting for Dougie.
 
Rebecca Hall is a British actress but you would not have know this to be the case from her performance. She may not have sounded like a Bostonian, but there was no sign of the UK in her work. Her character, the bank manager, was freed unharmed after the hostage situation.
 
But Jem had concerns about her. She was the only one who might have identified the gang members. So he wanted her taken care of. You see it turns out that she also lived in The Town (Charlestown). Jem was nervous about that. Doug said he'd handle it.
 
Jon Hamm played the 'not fucking around' FBI agent who was on the crew's trail. I know he's a star on Mad Men on tv, but I've not seen that, so I can't comment on his performance by means of a comparison. What I can tell you is that he did not do Al Pacino's Detective Vincent Hanna  from Heat. we didn't get to know much about his character, other than he was tough, and smart, and most of the time, like Doug MacRay, and like Jem, he needed a shave.
 
Pete Postlethwaite turns in a stunning performance as a vicious crime boss in Charlestown. His cover was that of a florist, and from the moment we heard his first spoken lines, we knew he was going to be bad. Real bad.
 
The last character to discuss is Jem's sister Krista played by Blake Lively. She was a party girl to a degree, but she also grew up in the town. She had a relationship with Doug, even had a kid with him. But marriage wasn't in the cards for her and Doug. I liked her performance, and you could really  feel her anguish when things didn't go the way she wanted them to.
 
There's your characters that make up the good guys, the bad guys, and even some of the people caught in between. Boston's Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox (pronounced Sawks) made an appearance as the setting for the film's climatic heist. We saw more than we ever wanted to see of the innards of Fenway Park aka Boston's Cathedral.
 
I've got to give Affleck kudos for the masterful directorial effort that resulted in this fine film. He can do action with the best of them. He can do car chases, and he even looked good with his weapons blazing when he was onscreen instead of being behind the camera.
 
So far, I have to say that The Town is the best film I've seen this year.    

Last updated: 2010-09-17 17:26:59 by JustMeMike