If an intelligent crime drama depends on Ben Affleck to be an acceptable writer, credible actor and incredible director, that’s three very good reasons to fail. The way gentle Ben’s career has been going, strike three was inevitable. But astonishingly, Affleck delivers an urban thriller on par with the highly acclaimed, “Mystic River” and “The Departed.”
Nobody’s ready to mention Affleck’s name in the same breath as Scorsese and Eastwood (think we just did). But, these icons are expected to consistently create great works of art. And, the other guy is Ben Affleck. But let’s think about it. Ben shared an Academy Award with Matt Damon for writing “Good Will Hunting,” won critical acclaim for directing “Gone Baby Gone,” and his acting has occasionally shown signs of life.
So, it should not be impossible for the guy to put it all together – just improbable. After all, he’s Ben Affleck. Okay, suffice it to say we were pleasantly surprised. Even if this dark, gritty pulp drama is not for everyone, this character-driven heist flick is well crafted, stylish and compelling. In a way, it’s an old-fashioned gangster film for today’s audience.
Affleck portrays family, friendship and loyalty as learned from his beloved Boston roots. His character, Doug, leads a gang in Charlestown (near Bunker Hill), bank robbery capital of the world. This highly skilled band of brothers is thick as thieves as they execute well-developed plans, use creative disguises and are armed with automatic weapons.
In this neighborhood of dysfunctional families, thugs and losers, Doug had potential for a bright future, but threw it all away in fits of anger and violence. His mother was of questionable character and left home during his childhood. And, his father, played by veteran actor Chris Cooper, is a bitter, unrepentant resident of the state penitentiary.
Doug’s best friend James (Jeremy Renner, “Hurt Locker”) borders on psychotic and couldn’t pass a psychological eye test. You know, a sociopath’s eyes have a crazed look about them. They should be arrested for this “look” alone. We think it could easily cut crime in half. Now, if he’s crazed, stupid and a jerk, is that called an “ignoranus?”
Anyway, while in process of robbing their latest bank, a hostage. Claire (Rebecca Hall) is taken. She is terrified, but released physically unharmed. The FBI, led by special agent Frawley (Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”) try to extract any clues whatsoever from this victim. Concurrently, Doug tries to learn how much she knows about the Fed’s investigation.
Doug finds himself falling in love with Claire, who doesn’t know the criminal he is. When James discovers this relationship, this psycho is less than thrilled with the situation. James envisions Doug eventually tying the knot with his sister, Krista, played by Blake Lively (“Gossip Girl”) who transforms herself into a believably drug-infested street girl.
Affleck is impressive in his role, but the ensemble cast gets its chance to display its vast talents throughout.
The stories collide when Doug decides he wants a life outside of Charlestown, Claire is discovering who he really is, the FBI is hot on Doug’s trail and Krista and James don’t appreciate the change in the air. Meanwhile, the mob who calls all the shots has its own idea how this story should read. The final heist will be at baseball’s Fenway “Pawk” where they all have one last chance to hit it out of the “yawd.”
“The Town” is rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and drug use. There is plenty of realistic action, but the gunfights are secondary to the depth of characters, challenging moral dilemmas and conflicted love story. In this world, there are no good and bad guys. Each character displays relative degrees of good and evil.
The story breaks down somewhat when Doug announces his “retirement.” We’re not “Townies” but even we know thugs don’t give two weeks notice to the mob and then expect drinks at Cheers. But, no matter how much you enjoy this dark violent pulp genre, Affleck has proven worthy of rejoining buddy Matt Damon once again.
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