The Town (2010)

Film: The Town (2010)

Director: Ben Affleck

Starring: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm

I was shopping in Sainsburys recently and I'm always a sucker for their selection of cheap DVDs. I'm like a moth to a flame, I can't resist a movie bargain. Well I was certainly surprised and over the moon to see The Town on the shelf for a mere £5. I had the Blu-Ray edition on my Amazon wishlist for a while but I thought for half the price and getting the film there and then, I'd settle for the DVD version instead. The Town was one of many films I wanted to see last year that slipped through the net but it was always in the back of my mind when any potential DVD or Blu-Ray opportunities presented themselves. Despite all the stick Affleck has had in the past I actually don't mind the guy and I think he does some good movies.

The Town is a bank-heist crime drama set in the gritty Charlestown neighbourhood of Boston, which just so happens to be the breeding ground for the city's worst bank robbers. The film follows four esteemed robbers in particular, led by Affleck and Jeremy Renner. When a heist doesn't exactly go to plan and Affleck's crew are forced to take a hostage (Rebecca Hall), things spiral out of control and the entire group's lives become entwined. Then of course there's the always-lurking FBI led by Jon Hamm pursuing them.

I can't honestly say that there's a single Boston orientated film I haven't enjoyed in my time as a film-goer. I loved The Departed and The Fighter. Good Will Hunting is a classic. I even enjoyed The Perfect Catch, purely because I'm such a baseball nut. So when I saw The Town was not only directed but starred Ben Affleck, a Boston native, and there was a large part of the film shot at the historic Fenway Park (home of the Boston Red Sox baseball team), I knew I'd likely be pleased with the results. I was not disappointed.

The cast and crew were top-notch and really gave The Town that feel of authenticity, a trait vital to the success of a film like this. I have yet to see Gone Baby Gone, Affleck's directorial debut, but after seeing The Town I'll be keeping a close eye on his career as a director in the future and make sure I put Gone Baby Gone on my "films to see list" (it's already quite extensive). Affleck did such a fantastic job with The Town, I cannot point out any flaws in his work. He put together a very smart film with some of the greatest action-pieces you're likely to see in a while. The battle at Fenway Park is especially brutal but so well done.

The star studded cast helped bring the fascinating characters to life, with excellent performances from Affleck and Hamm in particular. Not only did Affleck have to contend with the difficult job of directing, he also had to focus on his performance and he succeeded on both fronts. I've been a fan of Jon Hamm ever since I became obsessed with his incredible turn as Don Draper on Mad Men and he was equally brilliant as FBI chief Adam Frawley. Hamm's scene with Affleck in the interrogation room was simply mesmerizing. Jeremy Renner did a fine job as Jem Coughlin and certainly succeeded in his role as the dangerous loose-cannon. However I'm not sure Renner coped very well with his Bostonian accent, as he often mumbled his lines and some of his dialogue was rather poor at times; for example, shouting obscenities whilst shooting at the cops just felt out of place, even for the deranged psychopath he was supposed to be. This is just nit-picking though as for the majority of the film Renner was terrific and you really started to despise his nauseating persona. The rest of the cast were faultless: Rebecca Hall and Blake Lively, despite playing contrasting characters were outstanding as the leading ladies: the vulnerable Claire Keesey played by Hall and the intoxicated Krista Coughlin by Lively. Lively received a great deal of acclaim for her role as the drug-riddled Krista, despite not appearing in the film as often as I'd expected. For what she produced, she was superb but I thought maybe Hall should have received more praise since her character was much more important to the film than Lively's. However, Lively will play Carol Ferris in the new Green Lantern film so she will get another opportunity to display her obvious talents again.

To conclude The Town was a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend two hours. Its not very original and the material is nothing new but the story was captivating nonetheless and the fantastic cast really helped make this film realise it's potential. The Town isn't a classic by any means but it does everything well and lets it's fantastic cast and characters tell the story, which is really all you can expect from any film worth paying for.

A More Enjoyable Reality Rating: 8/10

Thanks for reading.