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The Town

October 6, 2010:  The Town

Ben Affleck has gone from being a minor character actor 15 years ago to being a respected writer/director.  Bringing an authenticity to films about his native Boston, he sticks to the mantra of “write what you know” and has been quite successful at that.  The Town is a heist caper at heart, but ends up being more than that as it takes a look at what makes these particular thieves do what they do.

I saw The Town because it was getting rave reviews, and while I found it enjoyable and would probably recommend it, I think it’s flawed enough to keep it from going on lists of great films.  The back story about the neglected Charlestown neighbourhood and the tough kids it produces gives the film greater depth than is usually found in this type of story, which is nice, but some logical gaps in characters’ behaviour coupled with an at-times formulaic structure detract from what could potentially have been a near-masterpiece along the lines of The Departed (2006).  Affleck is in the lead role in addition to his writing and directing.  He’s fine when he’s working within his range as he is here, and it’s great to see Jeremy Renner (nominated for an Oscar for last year’s The Hurt Locker) get another role he can really sink his teeth into.  Minor supporting turns by Chris Cooper and Pete Postlethwaite are pure gold and it shows remarkable restraint to not have overused these big guns.

Action scenes are nicely mounted if disappointingly predictable as mentioned above.  The ending is appropriate – not all robbers need to get dramatically shot and killed, but at the same time they don’t usually get to run off scot-free with the woman.  The Town is another Ben Affleck love letter to the city he loves, warts and all, and is engrossing if at times unbelievable.

Passable big city crime action-drama flick.

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