The Town

Starring: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Slaine, Titus Welliver, Pete Postlethwaite, Chris Cooper
Directed by: Ben Affleck
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
2010

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A bank robber (Ben Affleck) befriends one of the hostages (Rebecca Hall) he took in his last robbery. However, his partner (Jeremy Renner) disapproves of the relationship, as he worries it'll lead the FBI agent (Jon Hamm) in charge back to them.

Review:

Tim: Ben Affleck- great director? This still feels weird to say, but Ben Affleck is a terrific director. With Gone Baby Gone, and now The Town, he has proven he is a competent, intelligent director. When I see "directed by Ben Affleck," that movie now becomes a must-see. That is crazy to me, but I've been a huge fan of his first two films. Much of the credit belongs to his excellent direction.

The movie is an exciting, fast-paced, emotional story about bank robbers near Boston. The movie could have been another throwaway crime drama, but it is much more. This is really a character study- the characters are complex, adult, fascinating human beings with real flaws and the remnants of dreams mostly gave up long ago. This is a gritty, powerful portrayal of the choices we make in life, and the consequences we must pay for them.

Ben Affleck is quite good in front of the camera as well. While I may never love Affleck as an actor, he does a good enough job in the lead role. He was interesting, exciting, and made you care. Affleck the director knows that he needs to surround himself with good talent, too- it can't just be about him.

The supporting cast works so well. Jeremy Renner gives a very good performance as Affleck's best friend and co-bank robber. Renner has been receiving a great deal of praise for his role, and it is deserving. However, I'm not sure I was as blown away by his performance as many critics. I love Renner and I don't want to take anything away from him, but I thought he was very good- not quite great. Rebecca Hall was another strong actress. While she's young, she gave a very emotional, strong performance. I thoroughly enjoyed her, and she worked very well with Affleck.

I appreciate the film for casting some unlikely choices. They could have gotten a bigger name than Rebecca Hall, but Hall was the right choice. Jon Hamm isn't the biggest name, but he worked so very well in the role of the FBI agent. I also thought Pete Postlethwaite and Chris Cooper, while given small roles, worked exceptionally well and added a good deal to the film. I was more lukewarm on Blake Lively- I thought she was very good, but I think better choices were available. All in all, though, the cast, although somewhat unconventional, were all very good choices.

I'm not suggesting that The Town is a perfect movie. Affleck's first cut of the film came in at 4 hours long, and he managed to cut it down to just over 2 hours. This oftentimes feels like a movie that has been cut down. The scenes that were cut were obviously character development scenes, as I often wished the movie would have given us more time with each of the characters. This is a movie that probably would have worked with an additional 15-20 minutes of time. That's rare for me to say. Affleck is a good director, but he's still relatively inexperienced behind the camera. If he continues to stay focused, I am greatly anticipating the moment when everything clicks- Affleck is capable of directing a true, lasting classic. I promise you he hasn't directed his best film yet.

Still, The Town is a worthy successor to his directorial debut, and he's convinced me that he is a formidable, exciting director. I am eagerly anticipating his work in the future, and I thoroughly enjoyed this exciting, powerful movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Gone Baby Gone, The Hurt Locker