Doomtomylo
a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
aprilgregh
There really isn't much I can say about this film that isn't positive. Based on Chuck Hogan's novel "Prince of Thieves," The Town is superbly directed and features stellar performances by Ben Affleck, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner and Rebecca Ferguson. This is a film I have returned to over and over.
Pjtaylor-96-138044
'The Town (2010)' is a thriller centred around a gang of bank robbers residing in the supposed 'breeding ground for armed robbers', Charlestown in Boston, Massachusetts. As is usual for most of Affleck's fare, and for most of the features set in that particular city, there is a distinct air of 'localism', highlighting a close-knit community with almost patriotic levels of commitment to one another. This sense of pride for a place is pushed hard, with the ground-level - and usually criminal - elements elevated to a pedestal even above the country - and, certainly, law of the land - in which they reside, almost like those jingoistic military flicks if they were to replace their flag with a back-yard barbecue. It is a strange choice, to put so much emphasis on the setting of the piece when it isn't even all that relevant to the story. Stranger still, is to feature TV-style sweeping shots of the skyline. Still, the handling of the environment is practically a trope for features set in the director's home-town at this point, so it's understandable why the choice was made. Demonising, or pseudo doing such, the FBI does feel like a missed opportunity, though. It feels generic at this point to make the 'good guys' bad by having them be general jerks, if they can't be outright corrupt (though it starts heading that way at one point), and makes for a less interesting feature. If the FBI guys were more nuanced, the flick could've played as a nice two-hander, a cat-and-mouse with conflicting sympathies on the part of the audience. As is, the audience is only meant to root for Affleck and company, whom are all 'bad guys' and don't do much to change our perception from that. Personally, I did empathise with the protagonist, but the other members of the crew aren't fleshed out enough to care for and some of their actions aren't ones you'd want to see go unpunished. In this way, we don't always root for our 'heroes' to get away with it, which means that the switching of the 'good and bad' has kind of failed. Arguably, this would make a more nuanced piece but nuance isn't being aimed for in this aspect. The feature is fairly slow, too. Its central romance feels doomed to fail, fleshed out only so that it can fall apart, and isn't gripping enough to be a main focus. It also isn't given all that much attention despite its time on-screen. The handling of character development is nice in some select scenes, but much of the 'masculinity gone awry' has been done better before. The action set-pieces are all fantastic, though. The finale, especially, is a taut and tense affair with frenetic violence escalating from some fairly suspenseful moments. It leaves you on a relatively high-note, despite a slow and stop-start ending - that's also very clichéd, and does make up for some of the less interesting segments. Still, the lasting impact of the piece is a quite weak and forgettable one. 6/10
The Movie Diorama
Affleck gets slack off screen, and yes occasionally some of his performances are lacklustre. But when he is in full control of his own film, he becomes this formidable swirling vortex that chews up every scene. The Town is a great example of just that. A band of Charlestown residents perform bank robberies where during one of them they take a woman hostage. The ring leader of this group of misfits rapidly falls in love with her and attempts to protect her and his delinquent brother simultaneously. It's not the most original thriller ever, in fact it follows a narrative flow similarly to the likes of 'Heat' and 'Point Break'. However what differentiates this from them is the equal dosage of characterisation and adrenaline. The brotherly love between the two lead characters is conveyed to be a complex conflict for authoritative power within their unit. Each decision made by one is being questioned by the other. It's a ferocious relationship but one that is fuelled by love and respect, two traditions valued heavily within Boston raised families. Then to embed the intricate blossoming romance with the hostage that inevitably crumbles into desolation is just genius storytelling. Allowing us to become invested in these characters who do anything to survive the harsh environment of Charlestown. Affleck manages to use Boston as an incarnation to represent his own character. Rough around the edges with a warm bustling centre. His directing style is taut, tense and thrilling and certainly cements him as a talent behind the camera. His performance onscreen is then unequivocally matched by everyone. Hall, Hamm, Cooper and especially Renner all deliver exceptionally gritty portrayals as they bring life to these damaged individuals. The robberies and chase sequences were electric with frenetic editing to keep the action thrilling. There are certain sub-plots that are underdeveloped such as Lively's character, trying to pack too much into a two hour runtime. However, this heist thriller remains one of the best.
daniellorentzeriksson
This movie had me on my toes from the first get-go. Superb chemistry between all actors, action packed but not over the top as many action movies can get.
Intriguing crime with intriguing characters. I also find many of the characters to be very likable, it's not black and white who is a bad guy or good guy but rather a gray area that is more similar to real life.A superb movie!
