Filed under: Reviews
With 'The Town,' Oscar winner Ben Affleck ('Good Will Hunting') proves that he's no one trick pony director after his last film, 2007's 'Gone Baby Gone.'
Directing himself, along with Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Chris Cooper, and Blake Lively, Affleck's latest film is a no-holds-barred dramatic piece of entertainment. Filled with heavy suspense and intensity, the acting is aces across the board in this compelling thriller.
Set in Boston, Doug MacRay (played by Affleck) leads a small crew, including best friend Jem (played by Renner), in staging bank robberies around the area. In their last heist, while successful, Jem couldn't help but take a hostage, bank manager Claire Keesey (played by Hall), along for a joy ride.
With Doug's insistence, they let her go, but Jem gets nervous when he discovers that she lives in their neck of the woods. He believes she may someday recognize them. Instead of taking care of her so that she doesn't talk, Doug puts himself in a tough corner when, after talking to her and a few dates, falls for her. She has no inkling as to his day job.
Meanwhile, FBI agent Frawley (played by Hamm) is hot on the pursuit of these merciless robbers who will stop at nothing until the money is taken. As he starts to put the pieces together and with little evidence to arrest the gang of four, he works on Claire so that she's aware of boyfriend's dealings.
There have been plenty of heist films from Michael Mann's 'Heat,' to the recent summer release 'Takers,' and every film offers something different from the other. While 'Takers' was seen as action packed, 'The Town' is more about the acting with some action.
Yes, there is a car chase scene and at least two heist sequences, but what Affleck injects more into the film is the character development. One flaw could be that he doesn't know if the audience should root for or against these robbers.
Renner's enigmatic performance is clearly the standout amongst the cast. As the dangerous one in the group, one never knows when he's going to tick. With so many films to his credit, where his acting was less desired, it's nice to see Affleck go back to basic and be the guy we remember from 'Chasing Amy.' Behind the tabloids and her 'Gossip Girl' TV show, Blake Lively has a future in the business and she has to thank Affleck for giving her an unrecognizable but meaningful role. In his first big role outside of his 'Mad Men' TV series, Hamm is powerful as the cop looking to close this case.
It's nice to see a film that delivers from the opening sequence to the end, and 'The Town' does so entertainingly.