The Town

2010, Rated R, 123 minutes, Directed by Ben Affleck, Written by Peter Craig, Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard, Produced by Basil Iwanyk and Graham King, Cinematography by Robert Elswit, Original Music by David Buckley and Harry Gregson-Williams.

With: Ben Affleck (Doug MacRay), Rebecca Hall (Claire Keesey), Jon Hamm (FBI S.A. Adam Frawley), Jeremy Renner (James Coughlin), Blake Lively (Krista Coughlin), Titus Welliver (Dino Ciampa), Pete Postlethwaite (Fergie), Chris Cooper (Stephen MacRay)

Audiences are thrust right into the heat of the moment as the bank robbers quickly and efficiently bust into the first bank to be taken down in The Town. They take their time, they know exactly what they are doing yet not everything goes according to plan as flashes of intensity punctuate the moments of efficiency. The Town sets the tone for the entire film in the opening moments of the film. It takes its time with character development and plot reveals. It is meticulous in its details and efficient in its story line. At the same time, there are moments of great intensity and uncertainty. The tone and progression of the film makes it a wonderfully intense and methodical narrative that enthralls the viewer in the ebb and flow of a man trapped in a world of crime and distrust whose metaphorical perimeter is closely guarded by both those inside and out. 

Ben Affleck directs a very tight story with wonderful pacing that is very character driven. Sure it is a story about bank robbers but it is so much more than that. It is a story about a Doug MacRay caught in the life of crime who wants to get out but does not know how. Tension is added to the mix through his relationships especially with his best friend James Coughlin (Jeremy Renner) and also his straddling of two worlds in his relationship with Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall), who happens to be the hostage they took during the first bank robbery of the movie. 

Wading through the film, you come to know and understand the main characters better. At the beginning and even up through the middle I felt that the movie lacked character development but it turns out it was simply expertly drawing it out. You gradually learned more about who Doug was, what happened in his past, and what his relationship with his father was like. The same goes for James who simply plays off as a loose cannon in the beginning but becomes more complex as each piece is revealed. Even Doug’s ex-girlfriend and James sister, Krista (Blake Lively) is given a significant amount of development throughout the film. This really draws out the movie in a good way and engages the viewer as you try to better understand who these characters are. While several are thoroughly developed, others are left by the wayside. Dougs gang consists of 4 members, 2 of which we know hardly anything about. They simply filled their parts as stock characters who had their specific roles to fulfill.

The action of the movie was well timed and excellently choreographed. Each robber scene is more intense than the one before and that intensity easily shows onscreen with fast paced car chases through the narrow streets of Boston, to guns blazing shootouts in Fenway park (and yes it was all filmed on location). The action was not too showy as some movies can be (there was a very small amount of explosions Michael Bay). What made the film great was it was not all about the action.

There were many issues addressed in the film from loyalty, love, family relationships, trauma, denial, how a persons past affects their future, and many others. These issues were hashed out in the various characters, mainly through Doug. These issues gave the film a greater sense of reality and set the film apart from a simple heist film. Each character brought their own baggage to the table and that baggage was well explored throughout the film. 

The Town is a slowly developing film punctuated with moments of great intensity. It manages to both develop the main characters and excite the viewer with action. It goes beyond a mere bank heist film and explores many deeper issues through the characters and their own stories. It is a film that will exhilarate and engage and while slow at times, the wait pays off as the onion is peeled back another layer. While there are some flaws: many characters undeveloped and some with almost superhuman abilities and intelligence, overall the movie marks an excellent beginning into the fall movie season.


B+

Content Advisory

there is significant language, two sex scenes with no nudity,  some extreme violence, and drug use

Food for thought/discussion

1. Ben Affleck said of the movie “It’s about how rooted you are in how you grew up and also about paying for the sins of your parents.” How is this reflected in the movie, especially in Doug? Are we responsible for the “sins of our parents?”

2. How is Doug affected by his parents and his relationship with his father?

3. Do the main characters find redemption? Discuss where the main characters end up mainly Doug, Claire, James, and Krista.