A Boston career criminal develops feelings for a bank manager from a previous heist, just as the FBI begin to close in on his neighborhood gang.
CRIME/DRAMA
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The Town (2010)Directed by Ben Affleck
Written by Peter Craig, Ben Affleck, Aaron Stockard Starring Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, Pete Poslethwaite, Chris Cooper Based on the novel by Chuck Hogan Oscar Nominations - Best Supporting Actor (Jeremy Renner) |
The Town starts off with a pop, introducing us to some bank robbers in Charlestown, a neighborhood in Boston. Affleck had just directed Gone Baby Gone in 2007, but he didn’t act in that one. The Town displays both of his talents and I couldn’t be happier. This has become something that I quote all the time, and love to revisit as it is one of the better pure Boston films.
Affleck portrays Doug MacRay, who is the leader of this heist crew. They are your typical Boston dudes, big hockey fans who like to bust each other’s balls nonstop. Doug’s best buddy Jem is played spectacularly by Jeremy Renner, who doesn’t get this kind of freedom enough. Jem is the most memorable character by far and a legendary Boston film character at that. Blake Lively does a damn good job of convincing us that she belongs in this kind of a film, playing a shockingly authentic single mother who is addicted to drugs. The screen simply gets more interesting when Lively is there. Doug is caught in something like a love triangle, but can he fend off the cops and his old ways before it’s too late? The Town is the best heist film we have seen in quite some time, reminiscent of classics like Heat and The Departed. |