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The Town review

Posted : 2 years ago on 28 March 2022 11:42

The Town was one of my most anticipated movies and while it wasn't quite as great as I thought it would be it was still very good with some outstanding areas. The sex scene I agree was over too soon and needed a more rounded finish, and the film does get sappy and draggy toward the end.

In a sense too, The Town is not much new in concept, but the way everything is written and delivered I found this easy to forget. It is a slick and stylishly made movie, complete with some smart scripting that made me chuckle at times as well as on the edge of my seat, confident direction and a taut and suspenseful story.

For me, The Town also contains some of the best ensemble acting of 2010. Ben Affleck is surprisingly subtle, and Rebecca Hall and Blake Lively manage to be cute and sexy without their performances being overly reliant on these factors. John Hamm, Chris Cooper and Pete Postlethwaite also give fine work, but it was Jeremy Renner's brooding intensity that captivated here.

All in all, very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox


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The Town review

Posted : 9 years, 5 months ago on 24 October 2014 09:38

i had to re- rate the movie after seeing again. Admitting that Ben Affleck is now one of the most prominent filmmakers in the industry and this movie clearly reflects his meticulous nature of film making. Amazing in every detail . thrilling till end 2 hrs 30 mins of perfection . gotta go in my favorites . loved it all the way . with amzaing star cast it is pure awesomeness


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A good movie

Posted : 12 years, 4 months ago on 23 November 2011 10:29

Even though 'Gone Baby Gone' was, in my opinion, slightly overrated, I definitely enjoyed it so I was really curious to check this 2nd directing effort from Ben Affleck. Well, once again, I enjoyed it but it still think that this movie was overrated as well. Still, I have to admit it, the directing was once again really solid and it must have been be the best heist movie since 'Heat'. Indeed, the robbing scenes were very well done as they seemed very realistic but also just plain entertaining to watch. Furthermore, and that was probably the biggest success in this movie, the characters were very well written and played, especially Jeremy Renner who displayed once again that he is a new actor we should all reckon with. To be honest, I had never heard of Charleston before but they managed to give it a really gloomy and gritty feeling. Furthermore, they also managed to show the adrenaline kick, the excitement involved during a robbing but they also displayed the dispair and doom involved in such a lifestyle. Eventually, there was only one thing that really bothered me was the romantic sub-plot involving Ben Affleck and Rebecca Hall. Inded, while the most of the movie was pretty awesome and realistic, this subplot was unfortunately really far-fetched and, in my opinion, it didn't really fit with the rest. Still, in spite of its flaws, it was a really neat action movie and it is definitely worth a look.



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The Town

Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 30 May 2011 05:36

The Town doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to gangster films, but it doesn’t really need to. Sure it’s sacked with a woefully generic title, but it’s so smartly written, ably directed and expertly acted that it is a textbook case in how to do justice to genre filmmaking. If Ben Affleck decided to stick to writing and directing for the rest of his career, I don’t think that I would mind. Based on his two tries at bat it seems that his strengths are more behind-the-scenes then in front of the camera. He’s still learning and growing as a writer-director, he never successfully balances the existential crisis of the main character with the lean-mean-nail-biting anxiety of the crime procedural, but the promise is there.

The Town does two of its three goals very well. First, it’s a tense and gut-punch inducing movie about a group who keeps getting pulled further and further into the criminal demimonde of Boston. Second, as a blue-collar sociological examination of a particular group in a particular place it excels. We get a real sense of place, culture and the messy and murky ties which bind these characters together. Third, and the least successful, is the romantic relationship between Affleck and Rebecca Hall. This is the story point through which we see the change and emotional turmoil. The romance never ignited and felt real, and his emotional journey felt written in short hand and never given the development it needed, but it never derailed the movie in any way.

Despite never truly probing into the psychological edges and fragments that it tries to explore with some depth, The Town hits a truly special stride during some key sequences which show us how much better this movie could have been if it had been made for a smaller budget. Ain’t it the way that the bigger the budget the more demand there is for prototypes, clichĂ©s and story check points? Easy and pat character resolutions and developments that plug and chug into a formula and require little emotional or mental effort from the audience and the greatest sequences in The Town evoke a true emotion. It must be doing something right.

Think of the opening scene in which Rebecca Hall’s character is kidnapped and finally released during a routine bank robbery. Her shellshock reaction to taking off the blindfold and seeing the sunlight is wonderfully acted. Or the moment later when Hall and Affleck are having a lunch date and Jeremy Renner, on a career high and delivering a performance just as powerful and committed as The Hurt Locker, enters. He has a tattoo on the back of his neck, which Hall saw while being kidnapped. If she sees it, she’ll be able to put it all together. The way the three actors play the scene is amazing. Affleck straddles the line between trying to be chummy and passive-aggressively telling Renner to get lost. Renner is picking up the signals, but his character loves to live on the brink and push things as far as he possibly can. He toys with the two of them, but doesn’t know that the reason Affleck wants him gone is because of the tattoo. Renner is positively explosive, dangerous and sexy. And, in a very small role, Pete Postlethwaite plays a rose dealer and old-school gangster. He oozes charm and malice in equal doses. Each moment of screen time with him is unrelenting and unnerving. Especially in the casual and friendly way he sends the group to their ultimate demise.

And that brings us to the finale, a finale which is highly implausible but executed to technical and nerve-racking perfection. The gang has been commissioned to undergo one final score – rob Fenway Park. The very notion of robbing Fenway Park is fairly ludicrous, but the movies aren’t always about being probable or possible. And The Town makes it look real enough. Naturally, things do not go according to plan. This was a suicide mission orchestrated by Postlethwaite and none of them knew it.

In a fairly new sub-genre of crime films, that of the Boston-era criminal underworld, the best of them is still The Departed. But with The Town and Gone Baby Gone Affleck has shown a real eye and ear for the sub-genre and shows that it still has room to flourish. Maybe he’ll even top The Departed in one of his next directorial outings. I look forward to the future writer-director work from him.


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Compelling, masterfully-realised crime saga

Posted : 13 years, 4 months ago on 13 November 2010 06:55

"This is the not-fucking-around crew, so get me something that looks like a print because this not fucking around thing is about to go both ways."


When Gone Baby Gone entered multiplexes in 2007, Ben Affleck soared from a tolerable star with a tattered professional reputation to an unexpectedly graceful filmmaker. Much like his directorial debut, a lot was riding on Affleck's follow-up effort, 2010's The Town - and, more directly, there was a lot riding on Affleck himself. For one, the actor had to prove that Gone Baby Gone (one of the best movies of 2007) was not the Hollywood equivalent of a one-hit wonder, and he also had to overcome the fresh new challenge of directing himself; a potential hazard he prudently avoided the first time around. Affleck was up to the challenge, however, and the result is this compelling, masterfully-realised crime saga that's worthy of Michael Mann's Heat. To be sure, The Town was put together using a litany of familiar genre elements, but the manner in which Affleck assembled the clichés results in an engrossing two-hour cinematic experience. Affleck afforded a spellbinding pulse to the proceedings; composing a bravura suspense piece that effectively examines the anxiety of criminal behaviour.



An opening caption prefacing The Town states that the neighbourhood of Charlestown, Boston has produced more bank robbers and armoured car thieves than anywhere else in the world. Also, bank robbing in Charlestown is passed down from generation to generation like any normal trade. The protagonist, Doug MacRay (Affleck), is from such a family. Doug leads a troubled life, pulling off bank and armoured truck robberies with a number of loyal comrades. When one heist goes slightly askew, Doug's hot-headed partner James (Renner) takes bank manager Claire (Hall) as a hostage, and only releases her once the coast is clear. Feeling guilt and attraction for Claire, Doug attempts to develop a relationship with the frightened woman partly as a way to keep tabs on her while the FBI carries out an investigation. As they begin to fall for each other, Doug prepares to pull off what he intends to be his final bank heist before skipping town. However, his troubles are just beginning, as local crime kingpin Fergie (Postlethwaite) makes it clear that his business with Doug is not over yet.


The Town is based on Chuck Hogan's novel Prince of Thieves, which Affleck adapted with co-writers Aaron Stockard (who co-wrote Gone Baby Gone, too) and Peter Craig. Compared to other recent crime-dramas, this movie particularly stands out due to the character nuances. Gone are the days when robbers are outright bad and cops are outright good - it's grey all over here, with Doug trying to be noble and ethical while the tactics of the FBI are less honourable than those of the men they're pursuing. Additionally, a lot of the drama and energy of The Town is derived from two sources: the romance between Doug and Claire, and the friction among the criminals. The film may not be as morally complex or thematically deep as Gone Baby Gone, but it demonstrates Affleck's capacity to tackle a more mainstream project. The filmmaker took a standard cops & robbers film fare (with a thief looking to go straight, a woman representing his last chance at a normal life, a dogged lawman out to catch the crook, and the proverbial one last job) and made well-worn genre tropes seem as real as any story you'd see on the news.



2007's Gone Baby Gone was a more insular thriller, permitting Affleck the opportunity to build as a filmmaker without the crushing burden of a bloated budget or a large scope. The Town further inches Affleck up the industry ladder, as this picture assumes a more commercial batting stance with a number of shootouts and heist sequences. Luckily, Affleck's additional acting duties did not impact his directorial skill. During his years as an actor, Affleck clearly studied those helming his various productions, and those lessons have paid dividends. The action sequences are bursting with intoxicating tension here, and are easy to follow (Affleck did not adopt rapid-fire cutting or shaky-cam techniques). The robbers' disguises are all fairly creepy as well, from the "Skeletor with dreadlocks" masks to the horror film nun outfits, and this lends a sense of macabre to the heists. Additionally, The Town captures the look and feel of Charlestown excellently - it's brimming with authenticity. This is one of those productions in which the setting becomes a character in itself.


While The Town proves that Affleck is deft at both style and substance, the film also demonstrates that he is an excellent director of actors, including himself. This is one of Affleck's best performances in years, and it reminds us that he is an actor of considerable talent when not saddled with unfortunate dialogue or bad directors (like Michael Bay). However, the real show-stealer of this picture is Jeremy Renner, who infused his character of James with meaty callousness and nothing-to-lose lunacy. Renner is virtually a 21st Century James Cagney here - he's a pug-faced time bomb of a thug. In addition, Rebecca Hall is exceptional as Claire, while Blake Lively disappeared completely into the role of James' sister. Pete Postlethwaite also makes an impact as Fergie, as does Jon Hamm as an FBI agent. Meanwhile, Chris Cooper is outstanding as Doug's incarcerated father. Although his appearance amounts to a cameo, Cooper's role emphasises the fact that Doug's fate is virtually inevitable given his background.



Fans of the crime genre should be very pleased with The Town, while other movie-goers should be happy to enjoy an adult-minded thriller after a summer of explosions and special effects. Whatever its minor flaws, this is a finely-tuned instance of genre filmmaking, and a turbulent story explored with a steady hand. The Town is positive proof that Affleck's directorial debut was no fluke, and it launches Affleck into the upper echelon of American filmmaking talent.

9.1/10



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Ben Affleck, you've finally got your breakthrough!

Posted : 13 years, 5 months ago on 25 October 2010 01:11

When I first saw the trailer of The Town, I thought it seemed interesting but I guess there was one slight thing that made me think that it wouldn't be a brilliant film was the fact Ben Affleck was in the leading role. However, I was actually really surprised! It is a psychologically disturbing picture that does have a slightly dumb touch to it regarding the plot. What I mean by this is it perhaps did feel a bit daft when a guy falls in love with a girl who he almost killed with his friends and I guess that made the film predictable. It is indeed a very intense, suspenseful film that was brilliantly made.


It is set in Charlestown, a neighbourhood in Boston, Massachusetts which follows a heist, professional thief Doug MacRay (Affleck) who keeps tabs on bank manager Claire Keesey (Hall), the only witness who could identify MacRay’s gang. As the couple slowly fall for each other and FBI agent Adam Frawley (Hamm) closes in on him, McCray begins to question the life he leads. Ben Affleck is usually an actor who gets a lot of negative criticism in his performances but I think for the first time in his career, he actually gave an awesome performance and it is a damn shame he never gave us a performance like this earlier in his career. Rebecca Hall's performance as Claire Keesey was really moving! As far as I'm concerned, she deserves an Oscar nomination because her performance does show what heartbreak does to you and also she expresses how scary the world can be to some people who have been deeply effected by the people in it. Jeremy Renner was awesome too! He really is becoming an actor to be reckoned with. His performance in The Town was, in my opinion, as awesome in The Hurt Locker.


Ben Affleck, you may be an overall crap actor but damn, you are a great director! His previous film as director Gone Baby Gone was pretty good anyway but I do think that The Town surpassed everything that Gone Baby Gone had. Ben, you really have shown us now when you're at the top of your game and you deserve it this time. Despite Ben Affleck is perhaps a very overrated actor, he is an underrated director. I have almost always given full credit to directors who are playing in the leading role as well but Ben Affleck and The Town has been an ultimate surprise to me. The action scenes were brilliantly filmed and it wasn't overloaded with explosions! It was just suspenseful excitement. The screenplay of The Town was by Ben Affleck, Peter Craig and Aaron Stockard and it was awesome! Affleck has earned screenplay glory previously by winning the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award with Matt Damon on Good Will Hunting.


Overall, The Town is an awesome crime drama that is one of the best films of 2010 so far. I like to think of it like a mixed combination of The Dark Knight, Heat and Training Day. Affleck, keep bringing us these films seeing as we finally know when you are at your best. Highly recommended!


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The Town review

Posted : 13 years, 6 months ago on 2 October 2010 11:27

Congratulations should go out to Ben Affleck. He's directed a very good film here. I've never much enjoyed him on screen, but this is the about the best performance I've seen from him. The Town is exciting, smart, and sentimental without being sappy. The film has a very sober, blue-collar feel to it, and is completely cheese-factor free. It doesn't reach too far to find its drama and the tension between the characters is expertly written and directed. The chase scenes, action sequences and shoot-outs are all taut, gripping, and great-looking and while comparisons to Heat and The Departed are inevitable, The Town is a very distinct, original movie. 25th Hour comes to my mind as well, which can only be a good thing. A bit self-indulgent at times, but hey, Affleck deserves to make the movie he wants, and at least he had the good taste to refrain from obnoxious Drop Kick Murphy soundtrack pieces. The Town is one of the better major-studio films of the year, but ultimately there's not enough at stake, and lacks enough fresh, noteworthy approaches at meaningful themes or ideas to be considered truly great. But that said, assuming you like movies, make a point to see it before it leaves theatres if you can.


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The Town

Posted : 13 years, 6 months ago on 24 September 2010 03:24

THE TOWN begins with what appears to be a voiceover in which our protagonist is talking about the characters and situations that will be unfolding during the next two hours. This didn't surprise me because Ben Affleck's last directorial effort (GONE BABY GONE) began similarly with a sublime, observant voiceover from its lead character. The shock comes when we realize that what we're actually hearing is Doug (Affleck, here doing double duty as actor/director) imparting instructions to his partners on how to go about the bank heist that they're about to perform. It's a wonderfully jarring introduction to what is a generally intense and satisfying action drama.

Doug and his team enter the bank wearing masks and they're soon selecting one of the employees to help them open the safe. Turns out it's Claire (Rebecca Hall) who may seem pretty nervous, but she doesn't lose her composure for a second. Due to complications with the police approaching, the guys are forced to take Claire with them when they leave the bank, since they may need to use her as a hostage. As it turns out, they don't need to go that far, so they simply drop Claire off at a random location. They soon discover that Claire lives closer to them than they thought, in the town of Charlestown, Massachusetts, where she's considered a "yuppie" (since she's not actually from there). Paranoid about Claire recognizing them, the guys want to surveil her, but soon Doug starts developing a relationship with Claire that goes way beyond surveillance.

Like GONE BABY GONE, this film is scrupulously raw and naturalistic, with some great cinematography of the city in which it's set. On a personal level, I felt a bit nostalgic about some of the aerial Boston shots, since it was only 2 years ago that I finished my college career there. Of course, though, the fierce, seedy life depicted in THE TOWN seems like something out of an entirely different world than the one I lived in while I was there.

There are several brilliant moments in THE TOWN which make me understand the fact that some critics have drawn comparisons to Martin Scorsese's work. The paranoia is incredibly palpable during a scene in which everything hinges on whether a person will turn his head in a certain direction, thus causing another person to see the tattoo he has on the back of his neck. Later, there's an ironic, uproariously funny moment in which the masked team of robbers stop in their tracks upon seeing a cop who wasn't really looking for them (or for any trouble, for that matter). The moment is placed perfectly because it comes right after what is probably the film's most intense shoot-out/chase sequence and serves as perfect comic relief.

GONE BABY GONE was a fantastic film, #4 on my top 10 list for 2007. Of course, much of its greatness was due to the ingenious moral dilemma that it presents to us in its final half hour. It's too bad that THE TOWN doesn't really offer us something along those lines. Action lovers will be satisfied with the film's final act, but for those of us who want more than that, there's a feeling that the film loses some of its complexity during its climax. We get an unnecessarily long shoot-out sequence that is also rather predictable. The film's final seconds are what I would call too pretty, too beautiful... that may sound good, but it certainly doesn't fit what had thus far been a particularly dark and raw motion picture. In fact, if any moral considerations come into play towards the end of THE TOWN, it's one that a lot of people may find reprehensible (does the film believe that if you steal millions of dollars from innocent people but then use it for a charitable cause you've redeemed yourself?). One of the other issues I have with the film is that it adheres too much to the convention of "the main character is technically a villain, but he's trying to get out of that lifestyle, he's trying to be a better person" - films seem to believe that audiences NEED that in order to sympathize with its lead. How about giving us a thoroughly flawed lead character, a total fuck-up? Maybe a lot of people wouldn't go for it, but I certainly would.

While THE TOWN doesn't deserve the accolades that I gave GONE BABY GONE, this is still an overall solid cinematic experience. Ben Affleck is as good a director as he is an actor who seems to display agony effortlessly. Rebecca Hall has an uncanny ability to play characters that seem both strong and vulnerable at the same time, and her skill at that is milked perfectly in this film. Last year's best actor nominee Jeremy Renner continues proving that he's not afraid to take on tough roles, as his work in THE TOWN is easily one of the film's most difficult performances to carry out. The always great Chris Cooper has a brief role as Doug's father (if only he'd been allowed to be in more scenes). The biggest surprise may come from Blake Lively who does something here that may surprise those who are only familiar with her television work: she plays the "skanky white trash" character to a t, and if she'd been in more scenes, she may have had hopes to get the same recognition that Amy Ryan got for her work in Affleck's previous directorial effort.

If this is the kind of result we're going to keep getting if Affleck continues using his hometown as a location, I hope he does exactly that. The success of action dramas depends a lot on how well they're able to balance the fast-paced sequences with all the plot/character development. THE TOWN handles that well enough to be worth seeing.


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Ben Affleck's got a new career.

Posted : 13 years, 6 months ago on 22 September 2010 01:50

"I'm puttin this whole town in my rear view"

a long-time thief tries to manage his personal relationship with a bank manager, as well as an FBI agent aiming to track him and his crew down.

The Town Directed by, and starring Ben Affleck, is the second installment in his directorial career, and focuses on a group of Boston thieves. Like Gone baby gone, this film takes place within a very similar location; Boston, Ma. The two movies are very similar in their vibe, character development, darkness, and grittiness. However, unlike his previous installment, The Town focuses a little more on violence, and is much faster paced. I give Affleck credit for mixing in the perfect amount of bloodshed, while co-existing perfect storytelling, and giving the audience emotions towards each character. I give the nod to "The Town", but not by a whole lot.



You can tell right from the get-go that Doug has done this for awhile, and is also facing some life issues, doing his best to cope with them. His counter-part Jim seems to have the same thing going on, however he was a completely different way of coping with them. Throughout the film one can't help but notice he's the most violent of the group, and that's how he deals with his emotions. being locked up for several years made him a darker person, which incorporates into his character, showing it on screen very well. He's like Doug's wing man, always prepared to do the dirty work. There's a scene in the film showing a good amount of violence involving those two. A good beat down, but I won't spoil it. The scene goes to show how good of a friend James really is when it all comes down to it, and how violent both characters can be when necessary.

You'll notice a lot of similarities from The Departed, as well as some other films like Heat, and Pride and glory. "The Town" is more emotionally attached, and features some prime supporting actors. Clair Keesy, played by Rebecca Hall, is MacRay's love interest after the first heist shown in the film. Their connection is great, and I couldn't have picked a better actress for the part. She plays a critical roll in the movie, adding more tension to what could happen. Meanwhile, the clan are being tracked down by FBI agent Adam Frawley, played by an excellent actor in Jon Hamm (Mad Men). He is a top contender for an Oscar nominee, along with most of the other cast members. i didn't realize how good of an actor he was until this film, seeing as I never Watched Mad Men. Another actress in which I've never seen on screen, Blake Lively, plays Jim Coughlin's sister Krista. She actually shocked me as a great actress, playing a cracked up drug dealer, and also Doug's ex-girlfriend. Chris Cooper is on screen for mere minutes, but does well as usual, Portraying Doug's jailed father.






The Town features some of the best action sequences I've ever witnessed on screen. Unlike other scrawny action films out there, these power packed scenes are realistic, and not overly dramatic. I find them more entertaining then the majority of other action packed films. They're as top notch as you'll find anywhere. Added to that are the tense and suspenseful heist moments that are played out to perfection, keeping you at the edge of your seat, anxiously anticipating their next move.

The Town Doesn't exactly show a whole lot of anything we haven't seen before, but it portrays all it's elements to near perfection, and shows why this genre should continue.

I love other heist movies in Hollywood, like The "Ocean's" Series, and Inside Man, but The Town brings that to the table x2, with a superb mix of character's emotions,and a crime grittiness that just makes this film worth owning, and most definitely in the running with some of the greatest crime films ever. (not to mention, the masks they wore were pretty awesome, and now one of my favorites)

This is by the far the best film to come out in 2010 (I haven't seen Inception yet). If any other pictures come out this year and top it, I will be amazed. Do yourself a favor and go watch this movie.

Ben Affleck is now a director to be reckoned with!

9.8/10



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Solid, Gritty. As good as crime dramas get

Posted : 13 years, 6 months ago on 18 September 2010 09:15

Doug MacRay and his best friend James Coughlin along with a group of their oldest friends rob banks. After they take a bank manager hostage James thinks she should be taken care of. Doug does not think that is the best idea and checks up on her, but he begins to fall for her as he gets to know her. As Doug and his friends draw heat from the police because of their most recent bank robbery Doug contemplates leaving Boston and this life behind. He asks Claire if she will go with him. The only problem is will Doug and his friends are able to successfully pull off one final job. Doug must way the options, do the job and risk being caught and sent to Federal Prison or not to do the job and risk Claire’s life if she doesn’t go with. Doug also finds himself pressure by Krista (James little sister, Doug’s drug addict ex girlfriend) to bring her and her daughter along with him.

The Town is one of those movies that show you a lot during its runtime. It gives you a wide variety of scenes featuring all of the characters mentioned above and a few more. There is enough of each character that you can understand who and what they stand for. Doug is featured in the most scenes however, along with Claire and James (aka Jem) because those are the three characters that the conflict is centered around. James figures that Claire has some information that she can give to the feds that will result in them being arrested. Doug talks to her and says she has no information and if they let it go she can’t give them up. Jem who is known for his violent past still wants Doug and the boys to accompany him on bank heists while Doug figures that laying low will get rid of their heat.

Ultimately the Town is one of those movies where you end up cheering for the wrong side. You cheer for Doug and Jem and hate the police force. The movie is designed to make you think this way. Doug and Jem really aren’t awful people, they have just hardened by the life they have led, as Ben Affleck brilliantly presents in the opening sequence Charlestown which is only a few miles worth of land is the bank robbery capital of America. He also presents a quote from a man simply identified as Charlestown man that reads “I’m proud to be from Charlestown, even though it has ruined my life, I am still proud” or something very similar to that. Doug and Jem have grown accustomed to living tough and breaking the law to earn money, and Affleck brilliantly captures his own character of Doug as a man who is trying to seek a better future at grasp for something more than just chaos and violence. On the other hand Jem played masterfully by Jeremy Renner wants nothing more. We loves what they do, where are they are and who they have become. He doesn’t want things to change; he wants Doug around swearing that Doug is the father of his sister’s kid, Even though Doug himself denies this at one point in the film. Renner has the tough, in your face attitude, and really I can’t picture anyone else who would have done this role as well. This is the second straight performance where Jeremy Renner makes a tough character look easy to portray. This is the second straight performance where Jeremy Renner takes a character and makes that character his own, so much so that you cannot see even the most seasoned veteran actors playing that part.

Even Blake Lively as Krista a down and out mother of a young daughter was an interesting performance. Lively who has never really been in a major mainstream picture to date is great in the role. Sure her character may say some odd things through-out one of her scenes, but she looked down and out, if nothing else she gets credit for looking the part. It does go deeper then that though in this film, Lively does nail the accent, the cracked out look. There is one scene close to the end of the film that we are able to see her real talent. Her little screen time is great, her performance is great. She is probably the most underrated in the entire film. She matches with Affleck, Hamm and Hall through out the film. Renner just hits an entire level all together.

There is not a bad performance in this film. It was good to see Ben use a couple of the guys from Gone Baby Gone including Titus Welliver and Slaine. As well as minor roles for Pete Postelwaite and Chris Cooper. Cooper, who only has one scene in the movie, has a lot to say about the background of Dough being that he plays his father. Cooper is able to show us that Doug is no different from his father, choosing to head down a life of crime.

The Town is easily one of the best films of 2010. There are downright dramatic scenes, and there are even a few light hearted moments between Doug and Claire. This film shows that Ben Affleck is one of the premiere filmmakers heading into the next decade. It even shows that Ben may still have a future in front of the camera as well. I am beginning to think Ben Affleck should handle the adaptation of Dennis Lehanes newest Boston set novel “The Given Day”. Affleck could make “The Given Day” his third film set in Boston that becomes not only a decent flick but a masterpiece.

The Town keeps you focused, engaged and emotionally attached to every one of these characters. If you have been unimpressed by Ben Affleck in recent years this may just turn your feelings for him around. I’m excited to see what Affleck does next, what Renner does next; even what Blake Lively does next if she keeps turning out performances like this one. Solid cast, solid movie. Crime dramas do not get much better then “The Town”


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