[7.50/10] The Town (2010)

The Town (2010)

Adapted from Chuck Hogan's novel "Prince of Thieves", "The Town" revolves around Doug MacRay, born and grown up in Charlestown, a working neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. It is an area where crime is part of everyday life. Charleston is basically the crime capital of the world, where carjacking, kidnapping and armed robberies are common things. Even more, the secret of the criminal crime are handled over from father to son. Doug is the leader of a bank robber group who managed so far to get out clean after every single bank robbery. Furthermore, MacRay gets romantically involved with a woman who doesn't know that he was her captor during group's latest bank heist. Just like his 'colleagues', George Clooney and Clint Eastwood, Ben Affleck is a much better director than an actor, and "The Town" proves exactly that. His second directional effort is arguably one of the better 'heist' movies of the last decade, as it's a smartly-scripted and subtly-photographed crime thriller, that while a bit moody at times, is consistently gripping and also quite intriguing to watch. The plot itself is nothing groundbreaking, but it's still solid and well-executed, and combined with some great performances and Ben Affleck's admirable directional skills, make this film a must see. "The Town" is generally very basic, visually, but very atmospheric at the same time, as the cinematographer uses pale colors and a washed out palette to create an atmosphere that feels quite appropriate for film's subject matter. Plus, the production design is excellent and complements the overall look of the movie. In terms of action, the chase sequences are brilliantly-shot and quite intense and definitely one of film's highlights. The acting is also one of the film's strongest aspects. Special mention goes to Jeremy Renner, who deliver a truly creepy and disturbing, yet incredible performance as the troubled James Coughlin, and he steals the show in every scene he appears in. Rebecca Hall's acting is nothing exceptional, but she does a great job as Claire Keesey, and she delivers a much better performance than her overrated Golden Globe-nominated turn in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". Ben Affleck's acting is average at best - there's nothing wrong with it, but nothing memorable either. Jon Hamm is credible and very convincing as FBI S.A. Adam Frawley. Smoothly-paced, competently-shot and often intense, "The Town" pretty much has everything a proper 'heist' movie should have.