The Town Is A Must-See

Rating: 10/10 (29 September 2012)

The Town is a crime drama starring, co-written(together with Peter Craig and Aaron Stockard), and directed by Ben Affleck.Jon Hamm,Rebecca Hall,Blake Lively,Jeremy Renner,Pete Postlethwaite and Chris Cooper play key supporting roles.The film was adapted from Chuck Hogan's novel Prince of Thieves and it was one of a number set in Boston, Massachusetts over the past decade that have formed a "sub-genre" of crime films like The Departed and Gone Baby Gone.
Boston bank robber Doug MacRay falls for a woman his gang had previously taken hostage after feigning a chance meeting with her to ensure that she can't identify them. The son of a tough Charlestown, MA thief, Doug passed on his chance to walk the straight and narrow in favor of becoming a career bank robber. Not only is Doug's crew one of the most ruthless in Boston, but they're also one of the best; they never leave a trace of evidence, and always make a clean break. Over the years, Doug's fearless partners in crime have become something of a surrogate family to him. Jem,who is the most dangerous of the bunch is the closest thing Doug has ever had to a brother. But a divide begins to open between the two career criminals when Jem takes bank manager Claire Keesey hostage during a particularly tense heist, and the group subsequently discovers that she hails from their own tight-knit suburb. When Jem proposes that the gang make an effort to find out just how much Claire recalls about the crime, Doug fears that his volatile partner may do more harm than good and volunteers himself for the job. Later, Doug turns on the charm while pretending to bump into Claire by chance, and becomes convinced that she doesn't suspect him of being the same man who just robbed her bank. As the feds turn up the heat on the gang, Doug finds himself falling for Claire, and searching desperately for a means of cutting his ties to his criminal past. But with each passing day, Jem grows increasingly suspicious of Doug's true motivations. Now caught between two worlds with no chance of turning back, Doug realizes that his only hope for finding a happy future is to betray the only family he's ever known.
This is a solid crime drama.No question about it.It is tense, smartly written, and wonderfully cast.It may not be original in any sense of the word as it is a deliberately old-fashioned melodrama that echoes the pulpy mix of violence and romanticism of gangster films.But the director,Ben Affleck does a marvelous job executing all of the pieces and is easily one of the best films during its year of release.Also,it happens to be one of the most entertaining films ever released.Watch it and see it for your self.Definitely,it is highly recommended.