The Town: As Good As Films Get

Doug MacRay and his best friend James Coughlin along with a group of their oldest friends rob banks. After they take a bank manager hostage, James thinks she should be taken care of. Doug does not think that is the best idea and checks up on her, but he begins to fall for her as he gets to know her. As Doug and his friends draw heat from the police because of their most recent bank robbery, Doug contemplates leaving Boston and this life behind. He asks Claire, the former hostage, if she will go with him. The only problem is, will Doug and his friends be able to successfully pull off one final job? Doug must weigh the options: do the job and risk being caught and sent to Federal Prison or refuse and risk Claire’s life if she doesn’t choose to leave with him. Doug also finds himself pressured by Krista (his drug addicted ex-girlfriend, and also James' little sister) to bring her and her daughter along with him.

The Town is one of those movies that show you a lot during its run-time. It gives you a wide variety of scenes featuring all of the characters mentioned above and a few more. There is enough of each character that you can understand who and what they stand for. Doug is featured in the most scenes however, along with Claire and James (aka Jem) because those are the three characters that the conflict is centered around. James figures that Claire has some information that she can give to the Feds that will result in them being arrested. After speaking with her, Doug decides that she has no information and if they let her go, she won't be able to turn them into the police. Jem, who is known for his violent past, still wants Doug and the boys to accompany him on bank heists, while Doug figures that laying low will get rid of their heat.

Ultimately The Town is one of those movies where you end up cheering for the wrong side. You cheer for Doug and Jem, and hate the police force. The movie is designed to make you think this way. Doug and Jem really aren’t awful people, they have just been hardened by the life they have led, as Ben Affleck brilliantly presents in the opening sequence. Charlestown, which is only a few miles worth of land, is the bank robbery capital of America. He also presents a quote from a man simply identified as 'Charlestown man' that reads “I’m proud to be from Charlestown. Even though it has ruined my life, I am still proud,” or something very similar to that. Doug and Jem have grown accustomed to living tough and breaking the law to earn money.

Affleck brilliantly captures Doug as a man who is trying to seek a better future and grasp for something more than just chaos and violence. On the other hand, Jem -played masterfully by Jeremy Renner- wants nothing more. He loves what they do, where are they are, and who they have become. He doesn’t want things to change; he wants Doug around, swearing that Doug is the father of his sister’s kid, even though Doug himself denies. Renner has the tough, in your face attitude, and I really can’t picture anyone else who would have done this role as well. This is the second straight performance where Jeremy Renner makes a tough character look easy to portray, where he takes a character and makes it his own. As the film progresses you're no longer aware that this is simply a most seasoned veteran actors playing a part.

Even Blake Lively as Krista, a down and out mother of a young daughter, was an interesting performance. Lively, who has never been in a major mainstream picture, is great in the role. While her character may say some odd things throughout one of her scenes,she looked down and out. If nothing else she gets credit for looking the part. It does go deeper then that though in this film. Lively does nail the accent and the cracked out look. There is one scene close to the end of the film where we are able to see her real talent. Her little screen time is great, her performance is great. She is probably the most underrated in the entire film. She matches with Affleck, Hamm, and Hall throughout the film. Renner just hits an entire level all together.

There is not a bad performance in this film. It was good to see Affleck use a couple of the guys from Gone Baby Gone including Titus Welliver and Slaine, as well as minor roles for Pete Postelwaite and Chris Cooper. Cooper, who only has one scene in the movie, has a lot to say about the background of Doug, since he plays his father. Cooper is able to show us that Doug is no different from his father, choosing to head down a life of crime.

The Town is easily one of the best films of 2010. There are downright dramatic scenes, and there are even a few lighthearted moments between Doug and Claire. This film shows that Ben Affleck is one of the premiere filmmakers heading into the next decade. It even shows that Ben may still have a future in front of the camera as well. I am beginning to think Ben Affleck should handle the adaptation of Dennis Lehanes newest Boston set novel The Given Day. Affleck could make The Given Day his third film set in Boston that becomes not only a decent flick but a masterpiece.

The Town keeps you focused, engaged and emotionally attached to every one of these characters. If you have been unimpressed by Ben Affleck in recent years, this may just turn your feelings for him around. I’m excited to see what Affleck does next, what Renner does next, and even what Blake Lively does next if she keeps turning out performances like this one. Solid cast, solid movie. Crime dramas do not get much better then The Town.