A "Town" to be proud of

Rating: 8/10 (20 September 2010)

There's a line in The Town where Doug (Ben Affleck) describes his younger self as "a twenty-two year old kid who thought he had it all figured out...before he threw it all away." The same could be said of the old Ben Affleck, the one who took the movie industry by storm when he, along with best pal Matt Damon, won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for 1997's Good Will Hunting. What followed was the stuff of Hollywood cautionary tales: while Matt Damon steadily gained popularity and respect, Affleck's accomplishments (namely a stellar turn in 2002's oft-overlooked Changing Lanes) were drowned out by his role in critical, if not box-office, duds like Pearl Harbor and Gigli, and by his much-publicized romance with two-time costar Jennifer Lopez. He was a punchline, a sellout. But this is a new Ben Affleck. After a praised performance in Hollywoodland and recapturing the industry's attention with his promising directorial debut Gone Baby Gone, he's carefully working his way to becoming the latest comeback kid.
It's immediately clear why he chose The Town as the next phase in that process. Like Good Will Hunting, it's essentially a love letter to Boston, the city that has provided the location of most of Affleck's best works. He delights in panoramic views of the downtown area and harbor, and a statement during the credits tells audience members that the movie is, in fact, dedicated to the good, normal, hard-working people of Charlestown, the neighborhood where most of the action takes place. However, it's also clear that he didn't just choose the location for personal kicks. He knows Boston the way Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese know New York or the way Michael Mann knows Los Angeles, and this unique awareness comes through in every scene, every shot. What is most impressive about Affleck's direction and the movie as a whole is how he grounds it in authenticity and manages to instantly and effortlessly drag viewers into this world. He doesn't romanticize or glorify; he lets the city – sometimes literally – speak for itself.
This realism extends to the people as well. Ben Affleck's script, co-written by Peter Craig and Aaron Stockard and based on Chuck Hogan's novel Prince of Thieves, is populated by rich, sharply-drawn characters that feel honest and genuine, a welcome relief from the cardboard stereotypes that often appear in this type of film. Of course, it helps to have a talented, all-star cast to bring the characters to life. As Doug, Ben Affleck delivers one of the best performances of his career, though that probably seems more about the quality of his past work than what he does in The Town; trust me, though, he's really quite good.
Still, it's the supporting cast that deserves much of the kudos in the acting department. First and foremost in line is Jeremy Renner, fresh off his star-making turn in last year's phenomenal The Hurt Locker, who here gives us a searing, live-wire of a performance as James Coughlin, Doug's childhood friend and chief partner-in-crime. Jim is a virtual ticking time-bomb, the kind of guy who acts without thinking and sets even his fellow criminals on edge, but like in The Hurt Locker, Renner avoids easy caricature, instead injecting his character with unexpected complexity and pathos. Rebecca Hall is striking as a bank manager/local do-gooder, and with help from the script, she turns Claire into more than just "the girlfriend"; nothing about the performance feels artificial or forced. However, the most surprising performance comes from Blake Lively, who, at this point, is best known as Gossip Girl's Serena. She appears in only a handful of scenes, and at first glance, Krista Coughlin, sister of James and Doug's long-time girlfriend, appears to be nothing more than another prostitute with a heart of gold. As the movie progresses, however, Krista evolves from a stock character into a real person; she might not have a heart of gold, but she does have the feelings and nuances of someone you might run into while walking down the street, someone willing to do anything just to get through each day. Lively's final scene is raw and emotional, arguably the most poignant one in the film.
Make no mistake, though. The Town may be largely character-driven, but it's far from a quiet, intimate drama. The script's nearly pitch-black humor is reminiscent of Scorsese's The Departed, and the violence comes fast and unrestrained. Affleck directs the action sequences with proficiency, adding some well-placed stylistic flourishes but largely opting for a straightforward approach that creates tension while still allowing the viewer to easily keep track of what's going on. The highlight, a prolonged Fenway Park heist/shootout, is on par with Michael Mann's classic scene from Heat.
The Town is not without its flaws – Jon Hamm's FBI agent is rather underwritten, giving the actor little room to make much of an impression, and though the ending is probably the right one, it feels a bit too optimistic in tone for a movie essentially about the bleak trappings of working-class life – but for the most part, its strengths make those blemishes easy to forgive. This is a taut, gripping thriller about people who defy the law not because they think it's glamorous, but because they see no other way out. Watch out, world, because this new Ben Affleck? He's here to stay.