The Town

Three years after the success of Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck was proving he had some skill behind the camera in the director's seat and he would go one to make another Boston based crime drama, The Town, in 2010 where he would also star in the leading role. This was a wise move as his leading roles were coming down to a simmer and two years later he would go on to win awards for his work with Argo but how does this small-scale crime drama hold-up today 14 years later?

Adapted from the novel Prince of Thieves, the story follows bank robber, Doug, who is from Charlestown in Boston which has a history with organised crime, and he wants to make a break for a clean start but is tied down by friends and affiliates from the local community. A recent bank job brings everything into question when he soon find himself romantically entangled with a potential witness while the FBI are closing in and his boss has ordered one final score that could set him and his crew for life. That last part might sound a little familiar. 

With the likes of Michael Mann's crime thriller classic Heat and then the lesser regarded Public Enemies released one year prior to The Town, this doesn't exactly sound like anything new on paper. And truth-be-told, there are a lot of aspects to this that can feel somewhat clichéd but Affleck directs this with such confidence and heart which gives the film a more personal feel. He is from Boston and makes good use of the city to tell an engaging drama while being supported by a great cast including Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm and Pete Postlethwaite in one of his final performances.

I watched the theatrical cut here having heard the extended version only added unnecessary padding but, without spoilers, the alternative ending felt more appropriate. While I enjoyed the original version, there is something almost flat about the ending to this otherwise solid film once it hits the two hour mark. There are also a few stylised flashback scenes and montages that did feel a little dated with the film showing some age but nothing that won't spoil the experience. 

Regardless, The Town is a very good crime drama that is given an extra boost by a top-notch performance from Renner as Doug's childhood friend and one he can't escape from. It's these scenes between the two where the story is elevated to something greater even if I wouldn't call it entirely original. I would recommend The Town to anyone interested in the genre or cast but I can't call it essential viewing; it's just a pretty good film that does what it sets out to do to the letter.