The Town

This may be a global phenomena, but in America we identify ourselves by the neighborhood we grew up in. For example in Los Angeles if you say that you're from the Valley or 818, people immediately associate you with a stereotype. You can even pinpoint things further by stating a specific neighborhood or cross-street. In The Town, Ben Affleck (Hollywoodland) presents us with a story about Boston, more specially Charlestown. Charlestown is famous for its heavily Irish population and bank robberies. You can say that knocking off banks and armored cars is the neighborhood vocation.
 
Like many American towns, demographics are changing. In Charlestown other cultures are moving in and the long-time residents are feeling pressured. This pressure translates into tension and The Town has plenty of it. Sometimes when you grow up in a close-knit community there is a feeling of bring trapped or boxed in. Ben Afflick’s Doug MacRay feels this way. He escaped once and made it onto a professional hockey team, but things didn’t work out and now he’s back in Charlestown. With his father in prison for armed robbery, Doug is taken in by the family of his best friend, Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker). James Coughlin (Jem) has done some time himself and he’s relying on Doug as the mastermind to get them back into the money. Doug learned the trade of bank robbing from his father, Chris Cooper (Seabiscuit). But Doug has lost the taste for crime. He had a chance at a normal life and now he’s looking for something better.
 
When their next bank robbery goes bad, Coughlin is concerned about a bank manager witness that they took hostage. The plan did not call for a hostage so Doug is worried that James is becoming a loose cannon. Jem is showing impulsive tendencies which is not a good quality for a precision crew. Doug has been taught to abort a heist rather than to kill. It’s better to never put your team at risk. Murder or hostages complicate matters and turn up the heat. Jem’s behavior is becoming a liability. To pacify Jem, Doug promises to check on the witness himself. He doesn’t trust Jem not to hurt her, but while watching Claire, Rebecca Hall (Frost/Nixon) they accidentally meet and after spending some time with her they fall in love.
 
Jeremy Renner is excellent as the hothead bank robber. His behavior is like a man living a fast-forward life. It was like he was in a hurry to fulfill his destiny or make-up for lost time. Also good is Blake Lively (Gossip Girl) as Coughlin’s sister. She is a drug addict strapped with a young daughter, looking for a way out. The changes in her environment frighten her. John Hamm (Mad Men) as a FBI agent uses these fears against her. The problem with small neighborhoods is that everyone knows everyone’s business. If he can crack Krista Coughlin, he can destroy the gang. Krista is the weakest link in this equation.
 
This is Ben Affleck’s second film as a director and he reminds me of an early Clint Eastwood. Clint Eastwood likes to keep his films small and personal, using locations that he grew up with. Unfortunately as an actor, Ben is not quite as iconic as Eastwood was by the time he started directing. Ben still hasn’t cemented a signature style, but as a director he shows great promise and I look forward to his next film. As for The Town, it is an intense, gripping and effective heist film. The performances are good and Renner especially is worth seeing. The Town is a worthy sophomore effort.  
 
Rating: First Run   An intense heist film with some scene stealing performances