Boston in all its toughness

Rating: 8/10 (16 February 2017)

I've never read the book on which "The Town" is based, but having seen the movie, I'm impressed. Even the concept of Boston tough can't prepare you for the nasty stuff that the movie depicts. Set in a neighborhood that apparently produces a disproportionate number of criminals, the movie focuses on a bank robber who falls for a woman whom he kidnapped in the process. We get a look both at the lives of the bank robbers, and the FBI agent investigating the robbery.
I'd say that the movie's main strength is how it looks at the lives of the different characters. It's made perfectly clear why the characters are like they are. There's no room for sugarcoating here. Although Claire is a secondary character in the movie, I found her character to be the most interesting. Kept in the dark about her lover's deeds, she functions as a link between the two worlds.
It's not a masterpiece, but worth seeing. In comparison to Ben Affleck's other movies as director it stacks up well. "Gone Baby Gone" was kind of empty, so this was an improvement. "Argo" was correct in showing the shah's life of luxury while his people lived in poverty, but should've shown his brutality. I haven't seen his most recent movie.
Worth seeing.