Short of memorable

Rating: 6/10 (4 January 2012)

Despite it's great reviews, Ben Affleck's The Town falls short of memorable. Affleck plays Doug McRay, a notorious bank robber from Charleston, Massachusuetts, who was forced into the business following the imprisonment of his father, also a noted bank robber. McRay grows up learning the ropes with his nominal brother James Coughlin, played by Jeremy Renner, a belligerent, unruly ex-con who has become completely hardened by his life of crime and his stint in prison. The film begins with an intense, chaotic opening scene. McRay and several accomplices run a heist on a bank, kidnap one of the bank tellers, Claire Keesey , played by Rebecca Hall, and release her later with the admonition to keep her mouth shut or they will find her and kill her. Coughlin, not entirely convinced that Keesey will cooperate, suggests to McRay that he follow her around to make sure she doesn't give incriminating information to the feds. Knowing Coughlin's whimsical nature, and believing that he will probably kill Keesey, McRay suggests that he watch her instead.
What unfolds from here is part love story, part crime-drama. While the scenes are full of action and violence, the storyline is predictable and one dimensional. Affleck's performance in his star role is good, but the film would benefit greatly from further character development to provide greater intellectual stimulation, or perhaps an interesting twist at he end. Overall, I am not a big fan of The Town, but I still have hope that Affleck's future films will get better as he continues to grow as a director.