The Town: This Heist Film is Only Guilty of Robbing Your Attention!

Ben Affleck directs only his second feature film (Gone Baby Gone, 2007) with The Town, and like his previous endeavor, delivers above and beyond expectations.  Affleck manages to effectively balance a superb script, with outstanding acting, and spot-on pacing to produce one of the best films of 2010. 

Premise: A longtime thief balances his feelings for a bank manager he had held hostage in a previous robbery, as well as the FBI agent looking to bring him and his crew down. Result: A thrilling and powerful tale that balances an exhilarating heist plot with genuine character and emotion.

The Town, simply put, is a film about a series of heists ending with its most complex and risk-ridden.  Like Oceans Eleven (and far less that film’s off-the-mark sequels) this film captivates audiences, thrilling them with proper pacing and direction through the execution of a complicated plot heist.  This central segment of the film -the swoop in-and-out art of well-planned and well-executed theft- is established immediately and delivered so well as to rid the audience of any doubt that this premise will surpass expectations. 

But to say that this film is about theft, even if it is the obvious, central theme, is to fail completely in description.  It would be like calling The Thinker, a mere statue, or calling Ron Jeremy just some dude with an enormous…..in any case, this film is by no means simply an action film about robbery.  The Town is about people, the choices they make and what becomes of them from hardships they both can and cannot control.  

Set in Charlestown, Massachusetts, on the outskirts of Boston, this is a city with a reputation for crime and fearful citizens. Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck), James Coughlin (Jeremy Renner), and their band of friends/thieves, have made quite the life as criminals, successfully pulling off bank heists and provoking the ire of FBI agent Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm).  After one particularly successful heist, Claire Keesey (played by Rebecca Hall) is briefly abducted by the group.  It is at this point that MacRay becomes interested and even begins a relationship with Hall without her knowing his role in her recent abduction.  

This relationship is a catalyst for much of the film’s subsequent events; MacRay and Keesey fall in love but in doing so, MacRay is forced to confront accusations of betrayal to his friend and past relationships, not the least insane of which is an addictive sexual relationship with Krista, a barely stable drunk (played brilliantly by Blake Lively) who also happens to be sister to his best friend James.  The cast does a remarkable job of creating depth and nuance not only in their individual performances but in the relationships with one another: MacRay and Coughlin are not just “friends” or even “best Friends”; theirs is a relationship of unconditional trust that has in fact been proven in the past – it is the manifested love for another you know and trust in a world where trust is earned.  In fact, in one of the most impressive exchanges in the film, MacRay approaches Coughlin and says, “I need your help. I can’t tell you what it is, you can never ask me about it later, and we’re gonna hurt some people.”  To which Coughlin replies, “Whose car we takin’?”  People, I don’t even like going to the mall with friends unless I agree on what store we are going to and secure an Orange Julius run in the process!

As already noted, none of these nuances would be possible if the cast themselves did not deliver noteworthy performances.  Affleck is strong, as always, but more remarkable is that he is able to relinquish control of the screen to better manage behind the scenes as director while his cast rises.  Renner, already nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Coughlin (a second straight Oscar nomination for him – The Hurt Locker, 2010) is magnetic on screen – he literally grips the audience, letting them go only minutes into the next scene.  Blake Lively delivers a completely shocking performance; I must admit that I need to verify by credits that in fact it was her to begin with.  Lively embodies her character completely and we believe her in this role as a ruined woman on the onset of despair (a far cry from “Gossip Girls” or (gasp!) Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants).  

In perhaps the most intense and well delivered role of the entire film, the late great Pete Postlethwaite delivers a chilling performance as the arch-villain and mastermind Fergus ‘Fergie’ Colm aka “The Florist”. So intense is his delivery and so cruel is his character’s manner that at one point the frustration and despair he imparts on his “employees” and in particular MacRay, forces the audience into visceral reactions of anger and anguish. 

While the film itself is engaging, as both an entertaining, action-packed thriller and a tale of human trial and despair, it could still use some tweaking.  The plot, especially in the heist sequences, sometimes sacrifices audience understanding for the simulation of chaos and confusion.  There are some small areas, clustered at the edges of the audience view, that long for some additional narrative, explanation or emotion thus standing out from what otherwise was a highly engaging and near flawless film. 

Overall, this is a must see film for anyone interested in heists, capers or exhilarating thrillers.  Of course, in this film, despite some flaws, the audience can expect much more than they bargain for.

Rating: 8 – An expensive red wine and juicy steak