Movie Review: The Town

Ben Affleck is a damn fine filmmaker. He has already proven that with his first film, Gone Baby Gone, but his new project, The Town, drives the point home ever further. And Affleck not only directs, he also is the lead actor.


The Town is the story of a group of bank robbers from Charlestown, Mass., led by Doug McCray (Affleck). McCray and the rest of his team, including his best friend Jem (Jeremy Renner), pull off a job at a bank in which Jem kidnaps the bank manager, Claire (Rebecca Hall), but later releases her. The situation gets far more complicated, however, when Jem finds out that she lives in the neighborhood that they do. So in an attempt to make the best of the situation, Doug asks Claire out on a date and ends up developing feelings for her.


Doug and his team's series of robberies also catches the attention of the FBI, who sends Agent Adam Frawley (Mad Men's Jon Hamm) to Charlestown to investigate. With the increased heat on his team and his new found love, Doug wants out of his line of work, a decision that does not go over well with Jem or his crime boss Fergie The Florist (Pete Postlewaithe)
The Town is a gritty, damn near perfect crime drama. Affleck's directing is astonishing. He had quite the vision for this film and it prevails on just about every level. It is just such a well-crafted and well-thought-out project. The acting is at an extremely high level, and Affleck, Renner and Hamm are all on the top of their games. But the real surprise was how good Blake Lively was in the role of Krista, Doug's ex-girlfriend who is also Jem's sister. She gives a depth and emotion to her character in the limited screen time she has, which is surprising to me because her casting was the one doubt I had going into this film, but she really stepped to the plate and proved to me she can act very well. The heist sequences are also brilliantly executed, expertly shot and very realistic.


The Town is one of the best films of 2010 so far. As a whole, it is one of the most well rounded heist films ever made, and Ben Affleck shines behind the camera. He has only two films on his directing resume, but he has shown he has a knack for filmmaking. The Town pretty much has it all: dynamite acting, great writing and directing, gorgeous cinematography, and intense action sequences. It is a fantastic film experience and a must see.

4.5/5 Stars