***
DVD release
I wasn’t much taken with Ben
Affleck’s Academy Award winning ‘Argo’, but I figured I’d give his previous
foray into directing a shot. Not only did Affleck direct and write ‘The Town’,
he is also the main character, Doug MacRay, a lifelong robber who goes around
with his gang of four terrorising the banks of Charlestown, Boston. MacRay is
the leader of the pack, but it’s his sidekick, Coughlin, who is the
loose-cannon, charging around hurting and killing without a second thought.
After they take a hostage at a bank robbery, the gang become fearful that she
saw something and MacRay sets out to put her off the scent. However, the FBI is
onto the gang and, in the midst of a blossoming romance and the fraying of
lifelong relationships, the foursome plan one last heist…
First off, there is nothing
original about this film but that doesn’t mean it isn’t enjoyable whilst you’re
watching it. MacRay seems to be an extension of the character Affleck played in
‘Good Will Hunting’ and is the bad-guy-with-a-heart in a sea of Charlestown
lowlifes. Jon Hamm is the FBI agent desperate to collar a gang that have been
patrolling the streets for years and Jeremy Renner is on an especially bad turn
as the threatening and unpredictable Coughlin. Seriously, he’s ‘off the chain’.
All the characters seem to be fairly one-sided and I can’t work out if I felt
for Affleck’s MacRay when he is essentially a baddie, who turns his back on his
Charlestown brethren, including the vulnerable Krista (Blake Lively) who he may
or may not have knocked up. Similarly, the relationship between he and Claire
(Rebecca Hall) seems a little forced, although they do have some quite romantic
moments. It all, in fairness, seems a bit predictable.
It is an action-packed romp, though,
and there are some good shootouts alongside quieter moments, and the whole
thing looks great too. There are some tense moments, and the presence of
Coughlin on screen is instantly unnerving as you’re never quite sure what he’s
going to do next. All in all, I felt the same way as I did after leaving ‘Argo’
– some good bits, but fairly average overall.
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