Go see The Town

Rating: 9/10 (23 September 2010)

I saw The Town, last weekend and it lives up to its hype. I love Jon Hamm from Mad Men, and he gets to show his acting chops as an FBI agent, with his own demons, chasing a gang of Boston bank robbers. Hamm's character, SSA Farley dubs the gang the "not effing around" gang, because they are ruthlessly efficient in throwing the authorities off their trail. The gang hails from an area of Boston called Charlestown, known for producing bank robbers, a "skill" passed down from father to son.
The police and FBI are fairly certain they know the members of the gang, but there is never any forensic evidence to tie them to the crime scenes. Ben Affleck does double duty as director and, plays Doug McCray, also known as the Architect, because he plans the heists with absolute precision, so that no one gets hurt and they don't get caught. Of course there is always the crazy, reckless guy in the gang who is itching to shoot someone, and James Coughlin (Jeremy Renner) fills that role admirably. He plays crazy very well. Why is it that the sane gang member is always beholden to the crazy gang member in some way???
The plot centers around a bank job that results in Coughlin "tuning up" the manager, giving the assistant manager, Clair Keesy (Rebecca Hall) an opportunity to trip the silent alarm. McCray sees her do it, but doesn't let on and Coughlin decides to take her hostage for them to make their getaway. They let her go after they escape, only to find she lives in Charlestown a few blocks away. They fear she somehow might identify them even though they were heavily disguised. None of the others have the stomach for murder, but Coughlin starts talking ominously about "taking care of her." McCray assures him he will handle things with Claire, and in the process falls in love with her. Claire doesn't recognize him and still bruised from the trauma of the robbery, is drawn into a relationship with him.
The local mob boss then taps the gang for the heist of a lifetime at Fenway Park the morning after a big game. McCray at first refuses, but after they threaten Claire, he agrees. Can McCray pull one last job, get the girl and change his life? It's a tall order, for sure.
Ultimately the film is about redemption, with some justice mixed in for good measure. In the end McCray, despite the bleakness that defines his life, hangs onto hope, and "hope" as someone once said, "is a good thing."