The Town, has an uncanny ability to make crime seem very cool. Whether it's dousing a bank with bleach after a hectic robbery, bashing in a bank manager's face with an AK-47 then whispering him something sly, or seamlessly switching getaway cars after tearing through the crammed North End of Boston at breakneck speeds. The Town, or maybe rather it's director, Ben Affleck, is masterful at depicting the brazen activities of the underworld, seen through the eyes of a couple of Charlestown-bred criminal "brothers".
The film stars Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall, and Blake Lively. It's a story about a couple of bank robbers who during a heist are forced to take a hostage, who they later find lives a few blocks from them in the small neighborhood of Boston, known as Charlestown. Charlestown is credited as being the bank robbery capital of the world (Which for some reason to me, doesn't seem possible). But, nevertheless this is an intriguing claim and adequately aids to the pacing of the very fast-paced opening of the film.
Affleck and Renner are the main characters, with Hamm, of "Mad Men" fame playing the role of the FBI agent charged with the task of catching these criminals. Hall plays the role of, Claire Keesey, the bank manager who is taken hostage. The movie is cast very well, with supporting roles having a very authentic feel to them. Affleck shows his directing prowess by crafting a 2 hour long crime thriller that will show audiences across the country a side of Boston they probably didn't know existed. He blends frenetic paced gunfights with Fenway Park as the backdrop with much softer dialogue heavy scenes between Renner, Liively, Hall, and himself.
The Town is one of the best movies of the early fall season, with some drawing comparisons of it to "The Departed". I'm not sure it will have the legs to carry it into awards season, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Renner get an Oscar nomination for his supporting role.
