The Town (2010, Affleck)
September 18th 2010 21:45
The Town (Affleck, 2010)
Written September 18, 2010
In the end, it all comes down to small details and character development. These factors are what set The Town apart from the mainstream crime dramas that try too hard and ultimately fail. The Town features crisp direction from Ben Affleck, solid performances, and a story that is more about the past regrets and trauma of a man rather than anything else that is happening on the surface.
Ben Affleck plays Doug MacRay, the leader if you will of a gang of robbers who operate out of Charleston, Boston (we learn in an opening inter-title that Charleston has produced more robbers than any other city). Part of Doug’s team is his friend from childhood; loose cannon Jim Coughlin (Jeremy Renner). The film opens right to the action as the masked group robs a bank managed by a woman named Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall). After completing the job, they kidnap Claire for possible leverage (something Jim of course planned) but let her go without harm.
Jim wants Claire tailed to make sure their cover is still intact; Doug opts to do this. When meeting at a laundry mat, Doug realizes that Claire is not only terribly shaken after her kidnapping but that he also feels something for her. What follows is a deftly executed and ironically sweet courtship. The two talk, learn about one another and after a series of dates, finally kiss and sleep together. It’s refreshing to see a relationship played out this way, unhurried. Far too often, this is not the case. Naturally, the FBI is on the case and predictably, they will uncover their suspects. There’s a lot here you’ve seen before but there’s also some fresh energy and different directions the story takes to keep you engaged. Jon Hamm as the lead FBI investigator is a particular treat. If you watch Mad Men, you already know Hamm is a formable actor and it’s nice to see him garner some substantial time on the big screen (also look for him in Howl this fall).
Affleck’s direction is not as superb as his work in Gone Baby Gone but still impressive, once again proving he is incredibly skilled and could undoubtedly go onto a very lucrative directing career. Affleck gives a good performance here but there were a few times I failed to connect with his on-screen persona, for reasons unknown. His character is compelling when we are treated to what is going on beneath the surface. Doug struggles with the realization that he has yet to get over his mother’s disappearance and that he’s a mere pawn in other people’s hands; when you suddenly realize you have no control over your life: that’s a scary day. What Affleck has a perfect grasp on is Boston. Filmed entirely on location, every scene is authentic, from the small side streets to the aerial shots to the little details of newspapers and sportscasts.
Everything existing in the film serves an ultimate purpose, even if we’re less than impressed on how we get from point A to point B i.e. the function of Chris played by Blake Lively. At the start, it seems as though she’s a throwaway character with no ultimate want or purpose. This changes in the third act, in which she reveals her cards and she becomes the catalyst for the film’s showdown. Could she have been given more to do earlier in the film? Without a doubt, but at the same time, everything needs to tie together and this was the way to make that happen. Personally, a few scenes with Chris and Jim would have been beneficial as they are brother and sister yet we are not privy to any interactions.
Again, it all comes down to details which are unique and inherent to this story alone. In leaving The Town, you’re less likely to remember the car chases (fantastic as they are) and more likely to remember the image of feet touching water, the lifting of a blindfold, the tattoo that caused so much alarm yet ultimately amounted to nothing, and the story of a 6 year old boy chasing down nothing more than a memory. The Town isn’t brilliant or amazing or any other superlative you can unfurl. It is, thusly, a satisfying glimpse into the world one inhabits and how that differs from the life one longs to live.
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