Great movie

Rating: 8/10 (11 December 2014)

The meaning of armed robbery in Charlestown, Massachusetts has a different meaning compared to most other cities. In the hit movie The Town released in 2010, crime and criminals are said to be somewhat of a family tradition; or a passed down "trait". More specifically, armed robberies. Four men named Doug, James, Albert, and Desmond seem to be experts in just that.
The four men meticulously plan their robberies. In the movie, they perform multiple successful bank robberies. The first bank robbery they complete, they take one hostage named Claire. The men push Claire into a van and drive her to a beach area and let her out, telling her to walk until her toes meet the water. Claire did not see any of the men. After the robbery, the men are nervous about getting caught. To ease their anxiety, they figure at least one of them should follow Claire around to make sure she does not make any moves that would increase their chances of prosecution. Instead of just following her around, one of the men, Doug, starts speaking to her. Since she did not see this face during the robbery, she does not suspect a thing. Shortly there after, Doug and Claire begin a romantic relationship. While he does really like her, he makes sure to subtly ask her about her feelings and the actions she plans to take with the police regarding the robbery.
One judgment that I have about the relationship between Doug and Claire is that while it is incredibly hurtful, scarring, and scary given the circumstances; it is genius. The idea in and of itself that the criminal will interact with the victim is quite risky. However, in this movie it is the easiest and most effective way to be on the "inside" without having to deal directly with the police. Claire had no idea that the man she is sharing a relationship with,, is the same man who took her hostage.
Another thing about I have about this movie is how in the very beginning, the neck tattoo of one of the criminals, James, is subtly shown to the audience. It is a very brief showing of the tattoo, but long enough for the watchers to pick up on it and realize that it may be an important factor later in the movie. And it is. Later in the movie, when Claire's bank is being robbed, she notices that one of the men has a tattoo on the back of their neck. Coincidentally, when Claire is on a lunch date with Doug, James happens to be in the area. This is this first time seeing Doug out with the victim from the bank. The tattoo on James' neck is shown to the audience once again, but this time, for a much longer time and more than once. The director really wants the watchers to see this tattoo and recognize it. To me, this is a very subtle yet clever way to reach the audience. It is sending a silent message that watchers really need to pay attention to this tattoo.
A third judgment that I have about this movie is how towards the middle of the movie, Doug recruits James on a mission. The mission is to go to a man's house and beat him up. However, the man that is beat up does not show in the movie prior to this beating. This character is never explained nor shown. He does not tie into the movie whatsoever. To me, this scene is not necessary. The director seemed to add this to only add time to the movie. Not only is the scene not completely necessary, but it is also confusing. For me, as I viewed this scene I was beginning to wonder how this mystery man had anything to do with the movie. I began to wonder if I had missed something earlier in the film. However after reviewing the movie, I learned that I had not missed anything. This scene should not be included in the movie.
The fourth and final judgment that I have about this movie is more towards the end. It begins when the main character, Doug, is brought into police headquarters for an unrelated crime, yet to be questioned about the bank robbery. During the questioning, the officer yells a rude and specific statement at Doug. A few scenes after the police questioning, Doug is the only one left of the four men and he is trying to escape a bank robbery charges for the last time. The police know who he is and they also know that he was connected to the crime. However, they cannot prove it with any evidence yet. They try to trick him and set him up to come clean, however, Doug is one step ahead of law enforcement and plays along to let them think they will capture him. As he is playing along in this master scheme, he writes a note and leaves it on the police car of the officer that questioned him. The note read the exact same rude and specific statement the officer initially said to Doug. This scene in particular was quite funny to me. I believe that the director added in a part of humor to ease the audience of any tension the movie was creating. This scene also created a connection from earlier in the movie that the audience may find humor in.
In closing, The Town was directed methodically. It showed many subtle scenes that would later be important in the movie. I believe that this was a movie that deserved many awards. The director really knew how to connect with the audience in a way in which tells a story.