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"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
