It must be said: Ben Affleck, all is forgiven. I don't care what you think of Ben Affleck as a major film star/actor, what you think of his image in the spotlight, or the whole "Bennifer" thing, he is one hell of a Director.
He made his Directorial debut with "Gone Baby Gone," a crime movie about an abducted child starring his younger brother, Casey Affleck. I mistakenly avoided it for several years as I had fallen into the public's general dismissal of Ben, only to sit through it on a lonely summer night and hate myself for judging a book by it's cover. Gone Baby Gone was one of the best crime films in recent memory, and placed Affleck back on my radar. So when I began to see previews of his next crime thriller, The Town, I had high hopes.
The Town follows Affleck as a Charlestown bank robber. His crew, including Jeremy Renner, pull a bank heist in which they take a hostage (Rebecca Hall). Affleck continues to tail her in order to pick up any loose string, but begins to fall in love with her. Meanwhile, a tenacious FBI Agent (Jon Hamm) pursues his gang, who prepare for their next heist.
I'd like to get the bad stuff out of the way, because I want to end this on a positive note. A big problem with the movie is it's paralels to Michael Mann's Heat. It has the same romantic set up, same cop and robber beats, only it's all condensed to under 2 hours. To be honest, the love story between Affleck and Hall is largely forgettable, as are most of the characters, whose names I cannot even remember. No one is winning any awards, nor is anyone going to be remembered as these characters. However, each actor does their job well, providing a comfortable atmosphere for the movie to move around in.
Now, it must be said, the heist scenes in The Town are some of the best since Heat itself. The opening scene alone makes the movie worth seeing, and it all builds to a huge shootout in a baseball stadium that flows into the streets. Each action scene has great flow, with numerous changes in tone as well as rythym. Everything is tightly edited and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Also, great sound design with the guns. Each one has its own sound and unique reverberation depending on the environment. We don't get that in enough movies. I'm sure Mann himself would be proud.
Also of note is the humor. Not too many crime films would be willing to fit in this much comedy within their stories. Affleck clearly wants laughter, and a lot of it is quite good. It's nice and calming to know that the film doesn't want to take itself too seriously, especially when some of the more melodramatic scenes work their way in. It's weird to say this without being sarcastic but, this serious crime thriller is funnier than most comedies that have come out this year. And I say that with utmost respect.
All in all, The Town is not as great an achievement as Gone Baby Gone, but is still a great crime thriller all it's own. The action scenes must be seen to be believed. Affleck certainly has a gift when it comes to crime thrillers, and I eagerly await for word of his next project.
Production Value: 7/10
Entertainment Value: 9/10
Overall Value: 8/10
He made his Directorial debut with "Gone Baby Gone," a crime movie about an abducted child starring his younger brother, Casey Affleck. I mistakenly avoided it for several years as I had fallen into the public's general dismissal of Ben, only to sit through it on a lonely summer night and hate myself for judging a book by it's cover. Gone Baby Gone was one of the best crime films in recent memory, and placed Affleck back on my radar. So when I began to see previews of his next crime thriller, The Town, I had high hopes.
The Town follows Affleck as a Charlestown bank robber. His crew, including Jeremy Renner, pull a bank heist in which they take a hostage (Rebecca Hall). Affleck continues to tail her in order to pick up any loose string, but begins to fall in love with her. Meanwhile, a tenacious FBI Agent (Jon Hamm) pursues his gang, who prepare for their next heist.
I'd like to get the bad stuff out of the way, because I want to end this on a positive note. A big problem with the movie is it's paralels to Michael Mann's Heat. It has the same romantic set up, same cop and robber beats, only it's all condensed to under 2 hours. To be honest, the love story between Affleck and Hall is largely forgettable, as are most of the characters, whose names I cannot even remember. No one is winning any awards, nor is anyone going to be remembered as these characters. However, each actor does their job well, providing a comfortable atmosphere for the movie to move around in.
Now, it must be said, the heist scenes in The Town are some of the best since Heat itself. The opening scene alone makes the movie worth seeing, and it all builds to a huge shootout in a baseball stadium that flows into the streets. Each action scene has great flow, with numerous changes in tone as well as rythym. Everything is tightly edited and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Also, great sound design with the guns. Each one has its own sound and unique reverberation depending on the environment. We don't get that in enough movies. I'm sure Mann himself would be proud.
Also of note is the humor. Not too many crime films would be willing to fit in this much comedy within their stories. Affleck clearly wants laughter, and a lot of it is quite good. It's nice and calming to know that the film doesn't want to take itself too seriously, especially when some of the more melodramatic scenes work their way in. It's weird to say this without being sarcastic but, this serious crime thriller is funnier than most comedies that have come out this year. And I say that with utmost respect.
All in all, The Town is not as great an achievement as Gone Baby Gone, but is still a great crime thriller all it's own. The action scenes must be seen to be believed. Affleck certainly has a gift when it comes to crime thrillers, and I eagerly await for word of his next project.
Production Value: 7/10
Entertainment Value: 9/10
Overall Value: 8/10
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