The Town (2010)

Directed By: Ben Affleck

Starring: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, & Blake Lively

MPAA Rating: R

My Rating: 9 / 10

Ben Affleck's The Town has all of the ingredients to make a perfect thriller...but, as we've seen so many times before, great ingredients do not necessarily make a great product, if they are not combined in just the right way. Fortunately, Affleck proves that his feature film directing debut, Gone Baby Gone, was no fluke. He really has a firm understanding of how to locate all of the right elements for a film and then assemble them into a truly wonderful finished product. The Town is brilliantly exciting, pulse-pounding from the very first moment to the end. But, being an ultimate cinematic anomaly, it is also a thoughtful character study, drawing a handful of interrelated people into a tangled narrative that meticulously exposes the various parts of who they are as individuals. Affleck expertly merges these two worlds into an altogether great bank robbery thriller that fully verifies him as a powerful writer and director.

Charlestown is, according to title cards, the bank robbery capital of the world. The Town introduces us to two of its residents, best friends Doug and Jim (Ben Affleck and Jeremy Renner, respectively), both of whom fell into the family business of bank robbery together. During their latest heist, they take a hostage, bank manager Claire (Rebecca Hall), just in case the police wall them in. Later, after letting her go, Doug tracks her down to make sure she didn't see anything suspicous...but bonds with her once he realizes how badly their kidnapping has affected her emotional state. Not recognizing him since he wore a mask during the robbery, Claire quickly falls in love with Doug, a complication that sours the friendship between Doug and Jim. While FBI agent Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm) and his team are right on the verge of catching Doug and Jim, Doug realizes, through his love of Claire, that he is ready to end his life of crime...but not before he is forced to take part in one last, life-changing heist.

In the end, even the best screenplay (and this one is pretty damn great) can't be turned into a good film without the right cast. For that, Affleck has assembled a top-notch ensemble cast of people who, as of recently, have all been at the top of their game. No two people stand out more than Jeremy Renner and Blake Lively. Renner, coming off of his first Oscar nomination for 2009's The Hurt Locker, is excellent in his role as the borderline-psychotic Jim; he manages to be both frightening and sympathetic, a wonderful, if not slightly eerie, combination. Lively, Hollywood's new "It" girl thanks to her role in TV's Gossip Girl, is an absolute revelation here. Though she has always shown such profound potential, she delivers a glowing performance that, despite only lasting a few minutes of combined screentime, is perhaps the most memorable element of the entire film. It's rare to see such a young actress, especially one made famous by such a glitzy and high-profile series, take on such a gritty, grimy role, but she does just that here, and really aces it beautifully. 

There has been no shortage of positive buzz about The Town (it sits at a stellar 94% on Rotten Tomatoes) and so my voice seems like just another one to add to the pile. But, I can honestly say that, though the film has been hyped beyond belief, I wasn't disappointed in it in the slightest. Truth be told, bank heist films are not really my thing, but The Town never feels like one. Sure, two banks and one other venue are robbed during the film's duration, but it isn't so much about the robberies, as it is about the lifestyle that created them. It's compelling subject matter, and the film explores it with passion and conviction. The only problem, I found: the ending seems to be a little too pleasant and happy, given the decidedly dark subject matter and violent scenes that occurred immediately before it. But, for the rest of the film, I was completely immersed in its story and its characters. The Town is the kind of exciting, thought-provoking, and grown-up thriller that Hollywood doesn't make very often anymore. My God, I have missed movies like this...The Town was very welcome.