Let's go downtown...

Rating: 8/10 (9 June 2012)

I remember laughing out loud at the aberration of a movie that was "Pearl Harbour" and in particular Ben Affleck's "Kinda, sorta, coulda..." chat-up line and haven't even seen "Gigli", but it's fair to say that with this and his earlier effort "Gone Baby Gone" he's certainly found his métier, not only in front, but also behind the camera.
"The Town" (a poor title for a fast-moving film like this) is a gritty, contemporary heist thriller, with believable characters in largely realistic situations and with credible motives for their actions. I say largely, because you do have to get over the improbability of Affleck's serial armed robber's affair with accidental hostage Rebecca Hall and a series of thrilling but unbelievable car-chases and shoot-outs.
That said, the latter are delivered with skill and precision, while the attempts at character development are rewarded by the depth they add to the plot line. The acting too is of a high standard, with, to be honest, most of the supporting participants outshining the headline names of Affleck, Hall and "Mad Men's" Jon Hamm, in particular Jeremy Renner as Affleck's trigger-happy right-hand man and the late Pete Postlethwaite as the ruthless Irish overseer of the gang's criminal operations.
I visited Boston once over 15 years ago whch included taking in a baseball match at the venerable Fenway Park venue and enjoyed seeing this and other locations again, but better yet was just to chance to watch that rarity, a gripping and involving contemporary crime thriller, which this certainly was.