the Town

Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) and James Coughlin (Jeremy Renner) are the leaders of a dangerous criminal group responsible for organised crime, mainly robbery. During one of their heists they take a young bank manager – Claire Kessey (Rebecca Hall) hostage. It turns out she lives in their area, inturn causing Doug to track her every move and spy on her to determine whether or not she is aware of his group's real identity. Claire doesn't know Doug, yet gradually becomes infatuated with him. Their acquaintanceship flourishes, and Doug is determined to change his life.

I expected something different of this movie. I thought Affleck would supply the audience with a motion picture based on allegory, perhaps based on one meaningful metaphor. With the film's title in mind, I expected “the Town” and its model of society to drastically shift and transform into a place in which even the thieves turn to be decent and respectable, perhaps even exemplary citizens. However, Ben Affleck's “the Town” was just a highly gripping and intelligent action movie full of twist and turns, and moments of sheer suspense.

Unfortunately, throughout the majority of the movie Affleck concentrates solely on the developing relationship between the two main characters, Doug and Claire, and because of this the film's tempo stutters and fails to be fast paced. Rebecca Hall's and Ben Affleck's acceptable performances aside, the lack of on-screen chemistry between the two seems to be a minor imperfection, and the love story feels slightly tiresome at times, regardless of the relationship's climax having a direct and decisive impact on the movie as a whole, which was cleverly delivered by the director and screenwriters.

The greatest pro of “the Town” are the spectacular sequences of action: cleverly thought out and nicely edited heist scenes, and dynamically filmed pursuits which were breathtaking. The bleak and dreary aura and surroundings create a realistic world in which, especially the supporting actors, find their place and shine. Known from “the Hurt Locker” and Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner graces the audience with a stunning performance – at times he portrays a rather dark character, but depicts one so pure, one comprising blood and bone. The character is a simple man, raised in a decrepit district, accustomed to its all-pervading evil. Also, it's enjoyable to watch Pete Postlethwaite in his last movie performance prior to his death.

Ben Affleck isn't an eminent actor, though in the future he may turn out to be worthy of being a world class director. For now however, he stands out for his lean manipulation of convention and satisfactory cooperation with the actors. I'm convinced that we haven't seen the best of him – haven't yet seen him in his prime and believe he has something special in store for us.