The Town of this film’s title refers to Charlestown, the section
of Boston that has historically produced a high number of bank robbers and
armored car thieves (it should be noted that Charlestown also has a high number
of law-abiding people, too). From the moment The Town begins, we’re riding with
a "crew" of these robbers, who’re out to knock over a bank on this fine morning.
Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck, who also directed) leads the band, which consists of
his life-long friend Gem Coughlin (Jeremy Renner, who was so good in The Hurt Locker), Albert "Gloansy" Magloan (Slaine) and Desmond Elden (Owen Burke).
The bank job proceeds very well, until Gem decides to take a hostage, a pretty young bank manager named Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall, who’s superb). Her wrists are bound and she’s blindfolded during her brief ride in the robber’s van--after which she’s left on a local beach and told to keep walking, while still blindfolded, until her toes touch the water. But taking this hostage has brought up a complication: the boys find out that Claire lives in Charlestown. Doug agrees to follow her to see if she will be a problem for them, only to wind up falling for Claire.
Although it uses just about every heist-film cliché in the book, The Town is
still a masterwork of suspense, thanks to Affleck’s gritty, realistic take on
the material. The TV cop show dramatics are steered well clear of here as we see
this story equally from both sides: the robbers and the FBI agent (John Hamm)
who’s determined to stop them--and the folks on neither side are presented as
angels. It’s a dog eat dog world, the film posits, and people have got to do
whatever it takes to survive. Despite being heavy on the drama and
characterization, The Town still has some rip-roaring sequences.
The car chases, gun battles and other assorted mayhem are all extremely
well done without becoming action movie corniness. Jeremy Renner has added another memorable character to his growing list of screen
credits. His Gem is an intense hothead always looking for a fight who will throw
down with anyone, anywhere, anytime. The late, great Pete Postlethwaite also
shines as a local mob boss, and Blake Lively is a stand out as a floozy local
girl. If you’re looking for a great
crime thriller that just reeks of plenty of colorful Boston atmosphere, then pay The Town a visit. --SF
Main Review Page | Suspense/Thriller Page |The Town on DVD
