The Town

Welcome to the 1st episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!

Today's review is The Town. Directed by Ben Affleck. Written by Peter Craig, Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard. Based on the book "Prince of Thieves" written by Chuck Hogan.

100th review countdown....#82

MPAA Rating : R for strong violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and drug use.

Runtime :  123 min

Cast

Ben Affleck - Doug MacRay

Rebecca Hall - Claire Keesey

Jon Hamm - FBI Special Agent Adam Frawley

Jeremy Renner - James "Jem" Coughlin

Blake Lively - Krista Coughlin

Slaine - Albert "Gloansy" Magloan

Owen Burke - Desmond Elden

Titus Welliver - Dino Ciampa

Pete Postlethwaite - Fergus 'Fergie' Colm

Chris Cooper - Stephen MacRay


And the Oscar for Best Director goes too......Ben Affleck?????  Sounds weird right? But after walking out of this movie, that statement may not be that far off.

Doug runs a 4 man heist crew in the town of Charlestown Mass. After a bank job goes a little off kilter, the crew takes a hostage (Claire) only to find out later that she lives near where the guys hang out. With this uncertainty hanging over their heads, Jem offers to just fix the problem with a bullet but Doug uses a more subtle approach which cause trouble for all parties involved.

That's all you're getting out of me and I'm afraid I said too much. If you caught the trailers for this one then I really didn't spoil anything. I saved all the good stuff for you to see for yourselves and trust me, there is a TON of good stuff here to see.

The only thing I have to say against this film are the comparisons that other critics are using to praise it. I have heard that The Town is Heat meets The Departed. That's pretty high praise because Heat and The Departed are 2 very excellent crime films. I see the parallel with Heat and if you remember Heat then you will notice it when you see The Town. I don't see it with The Departed. The Departed dealt at it's core with 2 separate rats infiltrating the police and the mob respectively. There was nothing of the sort here. Unless I'm missing something I think The Departed was a poor choice to include in The Town's comparison. Aside from that there really was just all good to be had with this one.

I'll begin with the cast.

Just like in his directorial debut, 2007's Gone Baby Gone, big Ben surrounded himself with top notch talent that turned out performances that do more than just move the story along. They give you a feel of what the world these characters are living in is actually like. Affleck even treats the neighborhood of Charlestown as a character in it's own right. The surrounding area is dingy and working class which plays into the hands of the heist crew and the cops that look the other way. Everyone is so good that it's impossible to pick out just 1 standout performance. When these characters are on screen, they all capture your attention and respect. Nobody outshines the other, they share the screen equally. Just when I was going to give the nod to Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm comes on screen and takes the lead then Rebecca Hall steals it from Jon then Ben takes it from everyone. That kind of balance is VERY hard to create let alone maintain and Affleck does this masterfully.

Next up are the heist scenes. They are shot, blocked, edited, scored and paced with care, precision and intensity. You are transported into that situation as you follow the tactical nature of this crew as they rob the bank. The camerawork is fast and in your face. The shot choices between cuts were perfect. There was a faint hint of music during some of the more tense moments. You could just tell that Affleck did his homework and looked at other good heist movies when he prepared the robberies in this film.

Finally we come to the pacing of the film. At a shade over 2 hours, the film is lightning quick. This is in large part to the rapid cutting style that shows passage of time in the blink of an eye. For a film this deep it would seem like a bad move because it can be confused with a lack of plot development but it works here. You don't wonder what's been going on with these people. You just accept what they have been up to and what the future holds for them.

This is another winner for Ben Affleck the director. I haven't been the biggest fan of him as an actor. Not because of his acting ability because he has that. It's mainly due to the roles he's chosen over time. His reinvention behind the camera has given him some clout and better yet a chance to return to the fold as the strong actor that he is. One things for sure, the man can direct. He has the flare for storytelling especially when it comes to gritty, in your face, no holds barred material. Shooting in and around his hometown of Boston doesn't hurt either. He really captures the heart and soul of the state and uses it to get his point across.

Stay with it Ben....You got some hardware in your future.

On the 5 star scale. The Town gets 4 stars with a "Worth Every Penny" recommendation.

That's a wrap for today. Up next is Wall Street : Money Never Sleeps to be followed by Legend of The Guardians : The Owls of Ga'Hoole. 


Until next episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"


"D"