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.

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