"I'm proud of where I come from. It's ruined my life, literally, but I'm proud."- Charlestown resident.
If you've seen a trailer for The Town then you know that the one mile section of Boston known as Charlestown has produced more bank and armored car robberies than any other place in the world. Because of this I was not surprised that the film opened with that fact in white writing on a black screen. But when that card faded, the film didn't start. Instead the above quote came up. And in that quote you have the entire movie. Jeremy Renner's Jem, Ben Affleck's Doug, and their entire friendship and conflict exist entirely in that sentence. And as that white writing gives way to a Nolan-esque view of Boston and an intense, violent bank robbery, the theater was so quiet you could hear the collective weight of New York City's film critics shift to the edge of their seats. And no one moved until the "Directed by Ben Affleck" card faded onto the screen.
The Town centers on Doug (Affleck) and Jem (Renner), childhood friends from Charlestown who have gotten into "the family business" of robbing banks, and couldn't feel more different about their occupation. Jem seemingly loves what he's doing. He relishes it. Doug on the other hand, wants out. He wants out of Charelstown. He wants a new life. But before he can do that he has to rob some banks. During one such robbery they kidnap Rebecca Hall's Claire Keesey and hold her as a hostage to help their escape. After they let her go they realize she lives in Charlestown. Doug volunteers to follow her and see if she knows anything about who did it. During the course of his investigation he falls in love with her. Meanwhile FBI Special Agent Frawley (Jon Hamm) is chasing Doug and Jem's crew. All of the above ingrediants (as well as Doug's former flame Krista, played by Blake Lively) culminate in as big a "one last job" I've ever seen: the attempted robbery of Fenway Park.
The film has a wonderful script that captures the spirit of Charlestown perfectly and is peppered with great performances all around. Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, and Jon Hamm give unsurprisingly amazing performances. We've come to expect brilliance from all three and they deliver. Similarly, Chris Cooper (who plays Affleck's jailed father) is on screen for six minutes yet knocks his role so far out of the park I think the ball's still traveling. A little more unexpected however was just how good Blake Lively and Ben Affleck are. Lively (of TV's Gossip Girl) has never really been taken seriously as an actress, but I have a feeling that's going to change after her revelatory work here. She owns the world of the young Charlestown woman every bit as much as Amy Ryan did for Dorchester in Gone, Baby, Gone. Affleck's work as a director on that movie (which he proves here was no fluke) has earned him quite a bit of crediblity and respect behind the camera, but his reputation as an actor has long been tarnished by years of bad choices (the aptly named Paycheck comes to mind). Watching The Town, it's impossible not to remember why he was a movie star in the first place.
The Town is the best movie I've seen since Inception and among the best heist movies I've ever seen (Heat is the natural comparison, and I firmly believe that this film is on that level of excellence). It's fast and fun, yet still emotionally powerful. Do yourself a favor, go see this movie.
Sum...ology: A great cast, a great script, and a great director (The Town proves that last one) add up to the best heist movie in years.
Join today! Ology is where thousands of people share their interests and passions with each other.
Spam Here Not sure where to post that? Spam here, reologize later!
This Makes Me Happy... Post anything that makes you happy. Go!
MusicOlogy A place to gab about all things music.
CelebNews! For all the latest news on YOUR favourite celebrities!
(1)
Comments
Don't worry, we'll never be evil with your information
-or-