Film Review: 'The Town'

When I first saw the amazing trailer for Ben Affleck’s The Town, I had one thought: probably a great movie, definitely a horrible title. Then, I watched the film itself.

It turns out, The Town is actually a very fitting title for Affleck’s story of a thief who wants out of the game. I should’ve known; Affleck’s wonderful directorial debut Gone Baby Gone featured the city of Boston as a character on almost the same level as Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan’s detectives.

Ben Affleck stars as Doug MacRay, a thief hailing from the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston. The Hurt Locker’s Jeremy Renner plays James Coughlin, MacRay’s childhood friend and partner in crime. The wonderful Don Draper himself, Jon Hamm, plays the FBI agent tracking MacRay’s gang, and The Prestige’s Rebecca Hall steps into the role of the bank manager who MacRay falls for.

The Town’s strongest element is its cast. Look for “Gossip Girl”’s Blake Lively in a surprisingly gripping turn as Coughlin’s sister. Chris Cooper only has one scene as MacRay’s father, but he uses every second of his screen time to convey the hopeless but addictive nature of thievery. Pete Postlethwaite’s turn as the thieves’ boss is positively chilling. Nobody is miscast in The Town. It’s a wonderful ensemble; nobody steals the show, though Renner comes close.

This movie features plentiful helpings of both action and character. The action never feels cheap, and the character development never seems forced. The Town is about heists and thieves just as much as MacRay’s inner demons and embattled spirit. It’s a delicate balance that Affleck handles with delicate care. The result is a rare piece of cinema that is deep as well as entertaining.

If the cast is The Town’s strongest point, then unoriginality is its weakest. Though it’s by no means a deal breaker, The Town feels a lot like Michael Mann’s Heat, and the similarities are not negligible. This doesn’t detract from the film itself, especially if you haven’t seen Heat (for shame!), but the similarities did prove a little distracting for me.

Like I said, that’s no deal breaker. The Town is faster-paced than Heat, and the performances of the ensemble cast make this film more than worth the price of admission. Affleck obviously loves Boston, and his ability to capture the essence of the city has only gotten better since Gone Baby Gone.

The Town is a wonderful mix of action and character-driven drama that is only slightly hampered by a small “been there, done that” inkling. It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen a heist movie of this caliber. Mr. Affleck, keep ‘em coming.