People Who Matter:
Ben Affleck: Doug MacRay
Jeremy Renner: Jem
Rebecca Hall: Claire Keesey
Jon Hamm: Agent Adam Frawley
The Town is set in (and named after) the Charlestown area of Boston that is apparently home to more bank robberies and armored car robberies than any other place in America. At least, that's what the film's opening credits informed me. Doug (Affleck, who also directed the film) is the leader and brains behind a gang of thieves that steal from the rich to please a florist. Also in the gang is Jem, a fresh-out-of-prison hothead (played by Jeremy Renner) who is more likely to kill someone when things go south instead of just getting out of there like any normal criminal would.
I have seen enough movies to guess how some of this plays out. Someone has a change of heart about their illegitimate career path. A job goes horribly wrong. Someone is going to fall in love. The plot isn't exactly new and refreshing, but that can be easily forgiven if the characters are believable and well-played. Which thankfully, they are.
The robbery that goes horribly wrong takes place early on. The way these boys from Charlestown do their work is nothing short of amazing. It is efficient, almost military in the way that these guys get in, get out, and get the job done correctly and quickly. However, this particular robbery doesn't go quite the way they are used to. They take a hostage, Claire (Hall) to ensure their getaway. After they drop her off, they set her up for emotional scars for the rest of her life.
Afterwards, the guys become concerned that she will talk to the FBI about what exactly she saw and heard out of them, so they do what any logical criminals would do... have one of them follow her around and get close to her. Doug volunteers himself, since he and Claire had some moments during the robbery and hostage situation.
After that botched job, the FBI is getting closer and closer to catching the gang. Agent Frawley (played by the always impressive Hamm) knows who they are but doesn't have quite enough evidence to throw them in jail... yet. He is waiting on a slip-up of some kind on their part. For this reason, Doug doesn't want to do another job until the heat dies down. Jem wouldn't be a hot-head if he agreed to lay low.
I have seen enough movies to guess how some of this plays out. Someone has a change of heart about their illegitimate career path. A job goes horribly wrong. Someone is going to fall in love. The plot isn't exactly new and refreshing, but that can be easily forgiven if the characters are believable and well-played. Which thankfully, they are.
The robbery that goes horribly wrong takes place early on. The way these boys from Charlestown do their work is nothing short of amazing. It is efficient, almost military in the way that these guys get in, get out, and get the job done correctly and quickly. However, this particular robbery doesn't go quite the way they are used to. They take a hostage, Claire (Hall) to ensure their getaway. After they drop her off, they set her up for emotional scars for the rest of her life.
Afterwards, the guys become concerned that she will talk to the FBI about what exactly she saw and heard out of them, so they do what any logical criminals would do... have one of them follow her around and get close to her. Doug volunteers himself, since he and Claire had some moments during the robbery and hostage situation.
After that botched job, the FBI is getting closer and closer to catching the gang. Agent Frawley (played by the always impressive Hamm) knows who they are but doesn't have quite enough evidence to throw them in jail... yet. He is waiting on a slip-up of some kind on their part. For this reason, Doug doesn't want to do another job until the heat dies down. Jem wouldn't be a hot-head if he agreed to lay low.
From Doug's feelings on the next robbery, you can kind of guess how it's gonna turn out. We learn that the money drops at the florist isn't just a convenient place to store the cash, but the florist is actually the shot-caller in the whole scenario. Doug doesn't want to rob banks anymore, but the florist threatens Claire's life if he doesn't do what he is obviously so good at.
Just for fun, I thought I would mention Blake Lively, who plays a total slut (with a really... interesting accent) and is almost unrecognizable from her Gossip Girl persona. I'm glad she is branching out and distancing herself from teen TV dramas, but I just couldn't get past seeing her as Serena Van Der Woodsen. While I'm on a random rant, let me mention the masks and outfits the guys wear while they do their shenanigans. They are seriously creepy. I don't know what I would do if someone in a nun outfit was trying to rob me. I think I would laugh. But then I would get shot, and there's nothing funny about that.
Thrown in the mix is a fair mixture of action, romance, excellent settings, and car chases and it plays together in a very real-world way. A lot of care was taken to ensure that Charlestown became something of a character in and of itself. Affleck always takes great care when dealing with Boston, something that definitely translates to the big screen. It is something he cares about, and he made it something I cared about as well.
8 out of 10
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