Crime Pays… well sort of ...

Ben Affleck tackles the tough streets of Boston
by
Morgan P Salvo



The Town is one of those movies that you watch the entire time just wishing it was better. It’s not bad and some parts are pretty good, but there is either something amiss or else too much stuff crammed into each prolonged scene. The flick comes off as a decent TV show with swearing.
A den of thieves are committing bank robberies set in Charlestown, Massachusetts, a one square mile neighborhood in Boston that is reportedly responsible for more bank and armored car robberies than anywhere else in America. Making up the foursome of criminals are Doug (Ben Affleck) the brains behind the muscle, Jem (Jeremy Renner), the psychotic loose cannon, the driver Gloansy (Slaine), and Desmond (Owen Burke) the electrician. All adept and professional, they have been getting away with this kind of stuff for a long time. Things go wrong when Jem takes bank manager Claire (Rebecca Hall) hostage. In order to make sure she didn't see anything, Doug finds a way to ingratiate himself into her life post-robbery, leading to a strong attraction and romance. The FBI are there to complicate matters, led by determined agents Frawley (Mad Men’s Jon Hamm) and Ciampa (Titus Welliver seen in Lost/Deadwood /Gone Baby Gone).

The Town starts in instant robbery mode and follows formula with another in the middle and a Fenway Park finale shoot out at the end. The robbers use ingenious and scary masks, from heavy metal skulls with dreads to Nixon-faced nuns. I admit stuff does look cool here. Boston is shown in a different light, focusing on the claustrophobic streets of Charlestown and a very believable bumper car-type chase scene through alleys. But let’s not get fooled: this is a love story amidst the dudes emoting tough talk, car chases and the bullets flying. When we get the gist of where this flick is going it becomes unrequited love 101 and way too much storytelling for back history that’s supposed to invoke sympathy for the characters.
Slow paced and drawn out, this movie suffered from its own seriousness, needing more momentum, which might have been achieved by showing us less. Somewhat stale and redundant, everyone in The Town has a “tell all” monologue that just seems old hat and forced. Filmmakers who shine always know that their audiences are smart and treat them that way. I found myself checking out the inconsistencies of Affleck’s five o’ clock shadow turning to 10 o’ clock shadow from scene to scene.
To his credit, Affleck proved highly honed directional skills with Gone Baby Gone but kept himself out of in front of the camera. Ben has been in some lame movies, giving us some supremely bad performances. But rest assured this is not the acting ilk of Gigli or Daredevil but the return to Good Will Hunting territory. Affleck actually does a slow burn and explosions of rage with ease and force. Affleck’s Boston’s roots and his master of the Boston dialect dial him right in with this movie. Chris Cooper as Doug’s incarcerated Dad mesmerizes in his three minute scene. Renner delivers unbridled acting chops here. Hot on the heels of The Hurt Locker, every scene he has brings the tension up a notch. Renner has been giving us complex renderings of characters ever since his intricate portrayal of a serial killer in the vastly overlooked movie Dahmer. And here the mercurial actor doesn’t disappoint. Character actor Welliver is always dependable with his “don’t-mess-with-me” demeanor and Hamm is good but merely sufficient. Pete Postlethwaite flops down a bit part as a florist/gangster while Hall does fine in the lead female role with what little she’s given script–wise.
Under the guise of gritty and claustrophobic, Affleck fine tunes his directorial chops. It’s hard not to draw comparisons to Clint Eastwood here. Starring, directing and being in virtually every scene has its plusses and minuses. As the driving force behind a heist movie with real people’s problems, Affleck takes a page from Eastwood’s book coming through with the arc of a three act movie, drawn out emotions and dialogue, but delivering where it counts. The Town is a little schmaltzy, too formulaic and things get sewn up a little too easily. Ben’s no Clint, but he’s working on it.

The Town
Starring Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm
Directed By Ben Affleck












Rated R
2 ½ stars