Film Review: The Town (15)

Ben Affleck brings the Heat to Charlestown

THE PLOT
Charlestown is a blue collar suburb of Boston, MA and the armed robbery capital of the US. Ben Affleck and Jeremy Renner are half of a tight crew who have grown up covering each others backs as they inevitably get up to no good in a no-good part of town.

The film starts with a clinical bank job that takes an unexpected turn to include the kidnapping of a young attractive assistant bank manager, Claire. Fearing she could finger them following her release Doug MacRay (Affleck) follows and befriends her find out what she knows. The only identifying mark Claire (Rebecca Hall) saw was a tattoo on Jim ‘Jem’ Coughlin’s (Renner) neck.

For Doug and his gang, this job has brought on the heat and an unlikely romance with Claire has him thinking that the next heist will be his last. Coughlin and Pete Postlethwaite’s Irish Godfather ‘Fergie’ Colm think differently.

Meanwhile the FBI and Boston PD have started to piece things together and begin to suspect MacRay’s crew leading to tense scenes and intense confrontation.

THE REVIEW
Ben Affleck proves his directing success with Gone Baby Gone (2007) wasn’t a one-off. One top of that, his presence in front of the camera was some of his most watchable to date. Jeremy Renner played the same sort of unlikeable, arrogant bastard we saw in The Hurt Locker (2008) and so was perfect for the part. Pete Postlethwaite, in a slightly larger role than his seemingly endless portfolio of brief but integral cameos, was unusually bland and clichéd. Having been a fan for years, and following a grin of pleasant surprise when he first appeared, I found this to be disappointing. And I didn’t get the feeling it was the script (also co-written by Affleck), but Postlethwaite himself. A small blip from an otherwise enjoyable flick.

The only major criticism, if indeed it can be considered one, is that the plot so closely follows Michael Mann’s Heat (1995) that it doesn’t feel the most original of films. Personally, I loved Heat and that’s no bad thing, but others may have an aversion on that basis. Like Heat, it’s also a longish film, although mercifully not 'as' long. But just like Heat there are some great chase sequences and gun fights.

THE VERDICT
Whilst you’ll feel like you’ve seen it before, this is a smart, well directed flick that is well worth a watch. If you enjoyed Heat you’ll like this.
TC

UK Release Date: 24 September 2010

AWARDS
Golden Globe Nominee - Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture: Jeremy Renner

BAFTA Nominee - Supporting Actor: Pete Postlethwaite for The Town

Academy Award Nominee - Actor in a Supporting Role: Jeremy Renner