The Town

UK Release Date: 24 September 2010

Certification: 15

Director: Ben Affleck

Cast: Ben Affleck, Owen Burke, George Carroll, Chris Cooper, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, Pete Postlethwaite, Jeremy Renner, Titus Welliver

Rating: 66% 

'Welcome to the bank robbery capital of America'. 

Review:

Ben Affleck is brilliant both in front and behind the camera in The Town. He grew up in Boston so of course the accent is effortless and he's simultaneously caring as well as threatening. You can tell he understands the location he's filming in, he pays attention to small details about how much of a dump Charleston really is. Whilst watching I found his direction admirable. A pre-Hawkeye Jeremy Renner is the real standout here. His performance is magnetic as he's a loose cannon, at any point during the run time he could explode. He was deservedly acknowledged for his performance as receiving an Oscar nomination. Jon Hamm also delivered a fine performance if a bit similar to a later and greater performance in his career (Baby Driver). And even Blake Lively and Chris Cooper shine with their minimal screen time. 

I've never particularly liked Rebecca Hall as an actress - every movie I've seen her in she just seems a bit flat and I don't think that's any different here. Although the chemistry between Affleck and Hall felt natural to me and I thought it worked. Pete Postlethwaite does a strange Irish accent in Boston which is just odd. After seeing him in The Usual Suspects a few days earlier, I was expecting a menacing performance but it's just bland.  

The Town's biggest issue is that it's trying to be Michael Mann's Heat. The movie attempts to replicate almost every single iconic scene in Heat. There's an opening heist scene that sets the mood, a climatic shootout and a moment between main character, love interest and FBI agent. So if I'd seen The Town before Heat I maybe would've liked it more but it felt like a cheap rehash.

And whilst some of the performances are great I wasn't invested in a single character, which is a problem when the stakes are gradually increased throughout the run time. During the climax at Fenway Park, I'm meant to care about if characters make it out alive or not but I didn't at all. 

Despite it's evident issues, one scene is The Town is incredibly powerful - the cop turning away. It highlights the clear despair felt by residents in Charleston, they fear for their lives and would choose to help their own benefits rather than report a crime.