Flick reviews: The Town

By Erica Eades, Assistant Arts Editor

After hearing a brief description of The Town, you may be inclined to set your expectations pretty low; it’s basically a film about bank robbers that is directed by, and stars, Ben Affleck. But this movie is so much more than your average, shoot-em-up, heist.

The film is set in the Boston neighbourhood of Charlestown, which we learn fairly early on is known as the “bank robbery capital of America.” The plot is based around the lives of four guys who are notorious in the area for getting the job done, without getting caught.

Affleck’s portrayal of Doug MacRay—leader of the cutthroat group of bandits—is impeccable. He embodies the role of the down-and-out Bostonian in a way that is remarkably convincing. And his devotion towards his hostage-turned-lover, Claire Keesey (played by Vicky Christina Barcelona‘s Rebecca Hall) is surprisingly touching.

Stand-out performances by The Hurt Locker‘s Jeremy Renner, who plays Affleck’s longtime friend and teammate, andMad Men‘s Jon Hamm, as an FBI agent desperate to bring an end to the long run of heists, add to the already impressive cast.

Unfortunately, Blake Lively’s minor role as Krista Coughlin, a drug-addicted barfly, was a complete mess. As a devoteGossip Girl fan, I really wanted to believe her acting would improve as the film went on, but it remained mediocre at the very best. It was impossible to separate Lively from her infamous role as the fabulous Upper East-Sider, Serena van der Woodsen. Her character wasn’t remotely believable, and felt entirely forced and unnatural.

With a run-time of over two hours, The Town had a lot of action-packed screen-time to fill. And it didn’t skimp on the quality. By combining scenes of high energy intensity, with some that were slightly more sentimental, the film maintained a constant stream of engaging entertainment.

I would recommend this film to anyone looking for an action movie that brings more to the table than just  guns and gore—but of course, it does have a bit of that too.