The Town

Born in Berkeley, California but raised in the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts, actor, writer and director Ben Affleck may be best known for his work in Hollywood, however the highlights of his career have bloomed from humble beginnings on the streets of his youth. Yes, fame courtesy of a number of Kevin Smith collaborations (Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back, and Jersey Girl) and the usual rom-com and action-based fare (Forces Of Nature, the much maligned Gigli, and He’s Just Not That Into You in one corner, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor and Daredevil in the other) has led him down the path to big screen stardom, however despite the glitz and glamour of mainstream filmmaking, Affleck’s fascination with his home town has remained. From Academy Award winner Good Will Hunting (with Affleck taking home the statue for best original screenplay alongside his friend and fellow thespian, Matt Damon) to his directorial debut Gone Baby Gone (starring younger brother Casey Affleck, last seen in The Killer Inside Me), Boston has retained a special place within his body of work. Affleck’s latest effort – and second behind the camera – The Town continues his preference for the haunts of his childhood, in a competent cops and robbers character caper set in the city’s crime capital.

As the opening informs, one blue-collar Boston neighbourhood has produced more bank robbers and car thieves than any other area in the world. The locale in question is Charlestown, home to a large contingent of the city’s Irish community, where the family vocation is often crime, passed down from father to son. Doug MacRay (Affleck, last seen in Extract, working hard both in front and behind the lens) is one such recipient of an inter-generational occupation, with the failed pro-hockey player turning to his father’s profession when his luck in the big leagues ran out. Alongside arrogant best friend James “Jem” Coughlin (Jeremy Renner, deserving best actor Oscar nominee earlier this year for The Hurt Locker) and a crew of cronies, MacRay specialises in big stakes heists executed with exacting precision, orchestrated by criminal kingpin Fergie the Florist (Pete Postlethwaite, Clash Of The Titans ). When a routine Cambridge bank job goes awry leaving manager Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall, Dorian Gray) as a witness, the FBI (lead by Mad Men‘s Jon Hamm and Deadwood‘s Titus Welliver) start circling MacRay’s gang. Protecting his interests, MacRay manoeuvres his way into a romantic entanglement with Claire (much to the dismay of Krista, his ex-girlfriend and Jem’s sister, played by Gossip Girl‘s Blake Lively), playing both sides against the middle in a predicament dictated as much by his heart as his head.

With an outstanding ensemble cast (challenging Inception for the best assortment of actors assembled on screen this year) each sporting a thick Boston drawl, The Town delves straight into expected territory in an examination of lives and loves on the wrong side of the thin blue line. A stylish, slick and fast-paced action / drama hybrid infused with emotional depth amidst narrative familiarity (with the storyline recognisable not only to readers of the source material – Chuck Hogan’s “Prince of Thieves” – but to viewers of many analogous features from years gone by, Heat being the most comparable), it lacks the polish of Affleck’s directorial predecessor, compensating with fully-rounded characters fleshed out beyond the bounds of normal crime fare. Indeed, as mentioned in the film’s marketing campaign, parallels with Scorsese’s acclaimed The Departed are not off target (or even Clint Eastwood’s similarly lauded Mystic River, for that matter), with The Town acquitting itself well – courtesy of powerhouse performances from all involved, artfully accomplished set pieces, capable direction and a cracking script – against considerable competition. Another irresistible home grown effort from Affleck as a director, as well his long-awaited return to form as the feature’s immoral lead, The Town is a tense, intelligent and mature thriller that subverts the norm whilst ticking all the boxes in terms of the heist, crime, and cops and robbers sub-genres.

The Town opens in Australian cinemas on October 14, 2010.

DVD Bits can be found on Twitter @DVDBits. DVD Bits is at http://www.dvdbits.com.

Scorsese double: Mean Streets and The Last Waltz

Brisbane’s Tribal Theatre, one of the city’s newest cinemas in one of its oldest venues, has crafted a unique niche in the local screen scene since opening at the old Dendy George Street location back in March. Screening cult favourites (including Casablanca, The Shining, Eraserhead, Pulp Fiction, Spirited Away, Pan’s Labyrinth, and Across The Universe thus far), second-run hits (such as Animal Kingdom, Crazy Heart, Paranormal Activity, and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus) and first-release independent features (with Exit Through The Gift Shop a breakout smash, and Savages Crossing, The Horseman, The Most Dangerous Man in America and The Human Centipede also showing to date), it has piqued the interest of Brisbane’s avid film buffs, drawing in modest crowds of movie aficionados thanks to a revolving line-up of new and old classics alike. Extending the trend with a Martin Scorsese double featuring 1973’s Mean Streets and 1978’s The Last Waltz, the new Brisbane institution continues to impress, offering fans of the director the rare chance to view two of Scorsese’s masterful early works as they were meant to be seen.

Universally recognised as the film that put Scorsese on the map – as well as the first post-film school production entirely of his own design after playing director for hire on Boxcar Bertha, Mean Streets is a powerhouse breakthrough feature that not only trumpeted the arrival of its helmer and his signature style, but also launched the careers of Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro as well. Following the small-time criminal exploits of fledgling mafioso Charlie (Keitel) and his wildcard childhood friend Johnny Boy (De Niro), it charts the development of two kids from the streets headed in separate directions, but forever linked by their sins despite their own attempts at penance. A gritty, immediate and compelling film that chronicles the New York of Scorsese’s youth, it was praised for being startling original at the time – and still remains a breath of fresh air almost forty years later. Foreshadowing not only the hits of his career to come (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas and The Departed being the obvious standouts) but also a new wave of crime cinema in tandem with Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather and The Conversation, Sidney Lumet’s Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon, Roman Polanski’s Chinatown and William Friedkin’s The French Connection, Mean Streets is Scorsese in vintage, visceral and vehement form, with the chance to view it on the big screen a bona fide treat.

In contrast, The Last Waltz embraces one of Scorsese’s other obsessions – music. His first forray into the concert film genre but by no means his last (with The Rolling Stones-centred Shine A Light following in 2008, and 2005’s No Direction Home: Bob Dylan and the upcoming Living in the Material World: George Harrison also indulging the filmmaker’s love of the medium), it documents the final concert by Canadian icons The Band. Produced by singer, songwriter and founding guitarist Robbie Robertson, and featuring interview clips with him and his band mates throughout, it truly is a celebration of their music rather than an exploration of the history of the group, with guest artists including Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Ronnie Hawkins, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Muddy Waters, Ronnie Wood and Neil Young gracing the stage as The Band bid their farewells to the touring life. Filmed in 1976 at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, it earns its place as one of the greatest rock films of all time, with Scorsese’s canny documentary skills (as further demonstrated in his deconstruction of American and Italian cinema in A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies and My Voyage to Italy respectively) enticing new and old fans of The Band alike to partake in a poignant and personal opus about an act, a tour, and a gig that captured the spirit of a generation.

Tribal Theatre’s Martin Scorsese double runs until September 8, 2010.

DVD Bits can be found on Twitter @DVDBits. DVD Bits is at http://www.dvdbits.com.