The Town

Usually I am not a big fan of crime films and I really watched this one just for the heck of it. In many ways, the film has everything I don't like in crime films with it being pretty long and also type of the plot I am just not into. Surprisingly though, I did like this quite a bit more than I thought I would and in many ways I was blown away with it.

This crime film directed by Ben Affleck is about three friends who rob banks for a living. As time goes on, Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) falls in love with one of his victims Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) and this really makes Doug think about if this is the safest career choice for him and this makes him change and get away from the bank-robbing business completely.

What make this film work is how it makes you think. It makes you think about what these robbers have done, how it affects society and how they could change. It also makes you think as a bank robber which I think is very cool and the main highlight of this film.

Ben Affleck is very effective in this movie. He helps carry the other characters in this film and as the movie went on, I really started to enjoy his character. In the end, I really felt a connection to Affleck's character. There is also a nice supporting cast that includes Jeremy Renner and Blake Lively.

As for a person who has only sees bank-robbing on television, I thought the film did a very good job with the bank-robbing scenes which are creepy, exciting, realistic and very well put together. The bad part is that there weren't many bank-robbing scenes and the film needs more of them.


The film does have it's flaws. There are not enough action scenes and it has some unrealistic parts. The ending sequence is also way too long. It is a pretty good ending that is pretty cool with a couple of good action scenes in it. The ending is also shot at Fenway Park but it is overdone with too many scenes. At times, it seems that Affleck doesn't know quite how to end the movie and it sure made me miss my dinner by a long shot.

The Town is a smart film set in Boston that captures the heart of bank-robbers and the film comes close to working on just about every level. I think it is a must-see and shows why Affleck is turning into one great director.

4/5