Ben Affleck had, shall we say, a bit of a break for a while. And then when he came back with his proper directorial debut (lets forget about I Killed My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her on a Meat Hook and Now I Have a Three-Picture Deal at Disney) Gone Baby Gone, which was put on hold for a while due to the McCann case. But, the break and the past is well and truly behind Affleck as he is firing on all cylinders with The Town.
The Town is set in Boston. Charlestown to be precise. Charlestown wouldn’t exactly be on the top of your tourist itinerary if you were on a trip to Boston, as the place is the worlds capital for armed robberies, kidnappings and other stuff that you wouldn’t exactly be searching out on tripadvisor. Crime is a way of life here, and Sons aspire to be like their Dads and the criminal trade is passed from generation to generation. And for Doug MacRay (Affleck) that’s exactly the life path he chose. MacRay leads up a gang of ruthless bank robbers who always make a completely clean getaway. On one occasion, they have no choice but to take a hostage and when they discover she lives close by to their neighbourhood, it’s decided she needs to be taken care of. MacRay decides on dealing out death, but instead falls head over heels with his one time, bank manager hostage. Oblivious to who he is, Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) begins to put her life back together with the support of her new boyfriend.
MacRay wants to leave his life of crime behind him, but can’t as some of the other gang members won’t let him so as romance is blossoming the robberies do too, but with the FBI getting closer every minute, The Town turns into thriller of epic proportions. Will MacRay get away? Will Claire find out he was the guy that took her hostage?
For one reason or another, the Town reminded me of Heat to a degree. Not the gun battles (which there are a number of) but more so the performances of the cast and the feel and substance of the movie as a whole. Affleck is superb here, which must have been no mean feat considering he’s also the director. His character, even though he is technically the bad guy, is incredibly likeable and similar to Darth Vader, you know there must be some ounce of good in him. But for me, Jeremy Renner is just mind-blowing. Renner plays James Coughlin who is a right scumbag. A loose cannon of sorts, with little or no regard for anyone. And he pulls this off in such a subtle way, that it is simply breathtaking. This is one of the performances of the year and far exceeds what Renner has done in the past. This is the kinda guy you would cross the street, get a taxi to the airport and fly somewhere far way, just to avoid him. Renner puts in one of the performances of the year. And it’s these performances that completely envelop you and you almost feel like one of the gang. Testament to great writing and directing.
Visually The Town has a gritty, old school feel to it, and given the location and content it’s probably quite relevant. Affleck takes on action here as well, as the movie features a number of tightly shot car chases and shoot outs. But these only compliment the the performances and pacing of an outstanding movie. On the negative side, there’s not a great deal to moan about. Some of the accents, one in particular (see can you spot it) are so far off the beaten track that search and rescue must be out looking for them. And while on occasion it’s ever so slightly predictable, there’s a few moments near the end where you can’t but help cheer for the bad guys.
The Town is more of an intellectual utopian metropolis and is certainly a must see! Affleck is on fire!!!!!
