The Town
Starring: Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively
Director: Ben Affleck
Certificate: 15
Rating: 5/5
Years ago, Ben Affleck was the butt of everyone’s jokes. After bombs like Daredevil, Pearl Harbour and the horrific Gigli, we’d all forgotten about the promising young man who won a writing Oscar for Good Will Hunting.
Back in 2007 though, Affleck finally broke free of the criticism after getting behind the lens to direct the suspenseful abduction mystery Gone Baby Gone. Not only did he launch little brother Casey onto the world, but a new Ben.
Now he’s back with The Town.
Based off the novel Prince of Thieves, The Town focuses on Doug and his crew of bank professional bank robbers in Boston.
After their latest job goes a bit wrong, they quickly take the young bank manager hostage (Rebecca Hall). Only after they drop her off, do they realise she lives in the area. Doug, the brains of the operation, decides to deal with the problem himself, but ends up falling for her.
Finding a new lease of life, Doug wants to get out, but threats on his loved ones and his faintly sociopathic best friend James (Jeremy Renner) force him into one last big job.
Don’t worry though, this may sound generic, but this is a crime thriller of exceptional quality.
The Town bites hard with cutting dialogue, gripping action and a twisting story that will keep you on the edge of your seat right until the credits.
This is a film firmly grounded, where criminals wear tracksuits and work in brick yards, where crime is a career choice. It’s a hugely authentic film, which just makes all the action hit harder than ever.
When the guns start going off, The Town just leaves others behind, with fantastic intensity to its shootouts. All this is made better by great, believable and likeable characters, as well as fantastic shot selection by Affleck.
All this is underpinned by some of the finest acting you will see this year at a multiplex. Affleck himself gives one of his best ever performances as Doug, but even at his strongest, he’s easily out shone.
The supporting cast steal this film like the crew themselves, with Renner showing why he was nominated for an Oscar last year and Jon Hamm bringing his Mad Men form as the FBI agent after Doug and his boys.
But it’s Blake Lively that shines brightest of all. Breaking away from gossiping on girls to play drug damaged single mum Krista, Lively shows just why everyone in Hollywood is scrambling to get a piece of her. If this is any sight of what’s to come, the futures bright for Blake.
Mix in a cracking script which packs more heat than a SWAT team, a perfect soundtrack and a quarry load of grit and The Town really is something special.
Gone Baby Gone was an impressive debut effort from Affleck, but The Town puts it to shame. Ben Affleck the director has arrived and truly is something all film gurus should be excited about.
The Town is out now.
FemaleFirst Cameron Smith