Smart and taut, with some fine ensemble acting

Rating: 8/10 (17 November 2011)

The Town was one of my most anticipated movies and while it wasn't quite as great as I thought it would be it was still very good with some outstanding areas. The sex scene I agree was over too soon and needed a more rounded finish, and the film does get sappy and draggy toward the end.
In a sense too, The Town is not much new in concept, but the way everything is written and delivered I found this easy to forget. It is a slick and stylishly made movie, complete with some smart scripting that made me chuckle at times as well as on the edge of my seat, confident direction and a taut and suspenseful story.
For me, The Town also contains some of the best ensemble acting of 2010. Ben Affleck is surprisingly subtle, and Rebecca Hall and Blake Lively manage to be cute and sexy without their performances being overly reliant on these factors. John Hamm, Chris Cooper and Pete Postlethwaite also give fine work, but it was Jeremy Renner's brooding intensity that captivated here.
All in all, very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox