The Town
by Dante Rosario on September 25th, 2010
“The Town” is a superbly acted, and well-scripted action thriller, that joins the great tradition of heist movies like “Heat,” and “The Bank Job.”
Director, and Leading Man Ben Affleck, a native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, brings the hidden nature of Charlestown to life brilliantly through a dark, and gritty portrayal of the city that is very reminiscent of his last film, “Gone Baby Gone.”
In “The Town,” Affleck uses sweeping cinematography, along with his first hand knowledge of the Boston area, to introduce us to a city known as the robbery capital of America…a place where professional criminals are bred…and robbing banks is a way of life.
The plot focuses most of its attention on the relationship Affleck’s character Doug MacRay, develops with a woman, (Rebecca Hall), his band of thieves kidnapped during a job.
With the FBI hot on their trail, the team tries to plan their next major heist, while dealing with the possibility that their former hostage might be able to identify a member of the tight-knit crew.
Ultimately, MacRay finds it hard to balance his life as a bank robber, and keep his secret from the woman he now has strong feelings for. He knows if his gang isn’t careful, everything will come crashing down around them. Through his eyes we see how short the life of a professional thief can be, and how their actions affect everyone they love.
Despite being the punch line of a few “bad acting jokes,” Affleck brings his A Game to “The Town, ” and the rest of the cast follows his lead.
Jeremy Renner’s excellent dramatic turn as the career criminal, James “Jem” Coughlin, could earn him a best supporting actor nod, and Rebecca Hall delivers a strong performance that reminded me of her roll in the “Prestige.”
“The Town” has everything, and is without a doubt, one of the best movies of the year. I will warn you though…after seeing this movie, some of you might consider robbing a bank…
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