The Town runs on a very simple premise, executed particularly well by Ben Affleck, the star and director of this film. Affleck plays Doug MacRay, the leader of a group of bank robbers in a small Boston-area town, and it turns out that they're more than just amateurs; they've been doing this for years. It's the small town's underground crime family, an accepted aspect of their culture. Doug decides he wants out of the "family business" after falling in love with the hostage from his previous robbery, and this marks the beginning of a dastardly explosive chain of events that lead up to a colossal conclusion. While there are some plotholes here and there, they're barely noticeable since the film moves in a rapid "Nolan-esque" pace.
Most of the characters in The Town are pretty stereotypical and the story is somewhat cliché, so why did I like it? Probably the same reason everyone else liked it: it's just so much fun! The stereotypical characters don't end up so stereotypical when they're portrayed by an outstanding cast (including Jeremy Renner (Hurt Locker), Blake Lively, Jon Hamm and Chris Cooper), and the story moves by so quickly that we have no time to argue with any implausibilities. It's a genius technique that's being used more and more lately, most notably so by The Dark Knight and Inception director Christopher Nolan. It's easy to get lost in these films if you think too hard, which is why you should only focus on what's simply being presented. It's what films are for, and both Nolan and Affleck demonstrate this superbly.
Now here's me thinking too hard, because some things in The Town were indeed confusing. For instance, if these guys have been robbing banks for years, why are they still poor? Where is all of the money going? Why do the banks continue to have poor security? Why are the feds just now catching up? The way these questions are avoided shows a surreal style of realism that is nothing short of spectacular. While these holes are avoided, we're expected to just roll with it, and if you do just that, it's definitely going to be one of the most entertaining films you see this year.
The whole "backing out" plot is a classic that has been somewhat overused throughout film history, but it is handled well in The Town. Doug represents a "flaw" that always marks the end of an ongoing system, that system being the success of the robberies. When one specimen, in this case Doug, decides to turn against the system, it is a break from the conventional, what critics look for in movies, character development! Affleck plays a believable character going through a mental struggle to obey or betray his "family traditions," and Renner shines as his brother, a tough guy who sometimes makes ignorant decisions. Honestly though, Renner plays one of the most intimidating film characters I've seen this year. Like I said before, they're mostly stereotypical, but they're acted out very well.
I'm a sucker for good heist films, and this one goes down with the newer Ocean's Eleven and Dog Day Afternoon as one of my favorites. It's loud, intense, and action-packed, not to mention that it includes some of the coolest robbery sequences I've ever seen in film. If you want something smart and philosophical, this wouldn't be my first recommendation, although I wouldn't say it's not smart. But if you're down for something that never lets go of your attention, then this is a great choice.
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