The Town

The Town (2010)
Directed by Ben Affleck
Length: 123 minutes
Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and drug use






Ben Affleck continues to build a reputation as an acclaimed director with his sophomore effort The Town. Much like his previous effort 2007's Gone Baby Gone, The Town is a gritty crime drama that takes place amongst Boston's Irish neighborhoods, where crime, violence, and an unspoken code of silence are the norms. Not only does he direct, but Affleck also stars and co-writes the screenplay for a trifecta sure to garner Oscar attention. But the real question is does The Town mix the same emotional intensity as Gone Baby Gone with the heist-drama of classics such as Heat?

The film takes place in Charlestown, Massachusetts - a small community located in Boston where more bank robberies and armored car heist occur than in any other area in the United States. Ben Affleck (The Company Men, Extract) stars as remorseful criminal Doug MacRay, the brains behind the heists who dreams of escaping to a different life. Joined by his trigger-happy best friend James Coughlin, as played by Jeremy Renner (The Avengers, The Hurt Locker), Doug and his crew soon become an efficient and lethal crew capable of eluding the cops and minimizing exposure. That is until James decides to take a hostage - Claire Keesy played by newcomer Rebecca Hall (A Bag of Hammers, Please Give) - during a heist, who the crew fears will make them. Tasked with keeping an eye on Claire, Doug soon meets and falls for the former hostage, accelerating his desire to leave his life of crime behind. Unfortunately, Doug and his crew's latest actions have drawn the attention of the FBI, lead by Don Draper himself Jon Hamm (Sucker Punch, Mad Men) as Special Agent Adam Frawley.

The performances from the cast are solid; however, they all lack the emotional connection that made Gone Baby Gone so powerful. Renner excels as the tightly-wound James, ready to explode on anyone who stands in his way. Equally impressive is Hamm, still the epitome of Mr. Cool with his laid-back swagger and dry wit. While Affleck's performance is not at all bad, I had trouble sympathizing with the character of Doug. It is not that his actions are so reprehensible, simply Affleck's character lacks emotional depth - what you see is what you get. Additionally, without revealing much, the ending feels forced and not organic to its genre.

Where the movie may fall short in terms of emotions, the action is indeed top-notch. Several car chases and heist scenes avoid the plague of so many action scenes today, a.k.a shaky camera work with queasy camera pans. The action flows fluidly and feels realistic while avoiding being too over-the-top. Particularly, the shoot-out set at Boston's historic Fenway Park will soon be recognized as one of Hollywood's finest.

Though The Town has once again earned Affleck positive acclaim as a director, his sophomore effort does not quite reach the standard set by his debut. The action may be of a high quality, but the connection between the audience and the characters feels more of a surface variety as they lack true depth and conviction. While some of the initial hype surrounding the film and potential Oscar buzz may be an overstatement, The Town is a solid film that certainly warrants a viewing. I found myself thoroughly entertained; just be prepared to leave the film wishing for just a little more.

Final Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Favorite Quote:
Doug MacRay: "We gotta do somethin'. I can't tell you what it is, you can never ask me about it after we're done, and we're gonna hurt some people."
James Coughlin: "...Whose care we takin'?"

Oscar Nominations:
Best Supporting Actor - Jeremy Renner