The Town

The other day I went to the morning movie ($5 versus $10) to see 'The Town' starring and directed by Ben Affleck. The film is a typical heist movie that centers around a small community in Boston known as Charlestown. Several crews operate (though we never see any other crews) throughout the city, but have their base in Charlestown. They are very smart (criminally speaking), highly successful, and very calculated bank and armed truck robbers.





This summer I watched another film (Takers) and found it to be horrible. Horrible might be a bit strong, but it was predictable with very poor acting and almost an unbelievable story. Why would I bring up this other film? Partly because you need some sort of comparison to The Town. Some would say that Heat is the best comparison, but I think The Town is better than both Heat and Takers. Why? The acting is superb. Seriously great. You feel each of the characters emotions throughout the film. Jeremy Renner stills the show as the tough guy, with Jon Hamm throwing in an absolutely brilliant performance as the tough talking FBI agent.

The film is a bit long and like any caper or heist movie, there is an air of predictability. However, one moviegoer that happened to be in the theater with us was quite surprised at every turn...shocked even. Gasping and shouting at the screen. Hilarious. But I digress. The Town is a predictable film. You kind of know everything that will happen, but it makes the journey to get there interesting enough to keep your attention.

So what is my final ruling? 3.5/5 stars. Great acting, poor 'shock' factor as far as plot goes, and a very interesting subplot that allows for some motivation for Affleck's character.

Watch it and enjoy it, but remember that in most heist movies the ending is usually predictable.