Decent, but ultimately average

Rating: 7/10 (7 December 2010)

Just watched The Town. It's not too bad, but lacks a certain something. It's not as good as Heat (Michael Mann's masterpiece), but is more accessible. I read some trivia that it had to be cut quite a bit, which might explain why some of feels a bit too forced at times.
The plot is pretty simple: bank robbers, a girl, cops and so on. It's a little unbelievable, but not so much that you scoff at it.
Ben Affleck, who I previously rated as a completely overrated actor both acts and directs. He does okay, but nothing special in either role. Affleck's character is supposed to be an intelligent, caring, sensitive hardcore thief, but it's completely out of place. These are men who rob and aren't afraid to shoot their way out of a corner. Having the main character as a really decent guy who just seems to be killing time robbing banks defies belief. The other characters are two dimensional, but server well enough. Rebecca Hall does quite well as the love interest.
There's overtones of a deeper storyline going on, such as the florist who seems to run things, but it is only revealed towards the end, and not much is made of it. Maybe that was among the things that got cut, and if so it was a bad choice. It comes up as quite a significant plot point, but is given only superficial treatment. A similar example that worked well was Jack Nicholson's character in The Departed. A director's cut would be worth a look at, although I don't think that the material would support a much longer film.
The actions scenes are okay, but Affleck seems to waffle a little bit. There's a scene where the robbers seem to hesitate for quite a long time before opening fire at some cops. If they're as hardcore as they're supposed to be, they should just get into it. It's another minor flaw that weakens the overall feel of the movie. See Heat for how to really take down the cops in a situation like that. However, they're done well enough to maintain interest.
I keep mentioning Heat because the films are very similar in a lot of ways. Heat is by far the better film overall, although it's more cerebral and The Town is easier to digest as a throwaway flick. Where Heat set the standard, The Town kind of wanders in it's shadow. The director's cut might help address that, but it remains to be seen.
Overall, it's okay. Worth a 7 out of 10 for a breezy action film. Unfortunately, outside of the action sequences, the film lags significantly, but the pace is brisk and it flows quite well.