Happy New Year, everybody! I am back to jumpstart another year of hastily conceived and not widely read movie reviews for you. No theme at this point. No extensive list I worked on for months that was not movie related. It is just a movie I have been rewatching in pieces a lot recently as it has just been on, and it reminded me how much I love it. Everybody put on your nun masks, cut the cameras, and follow me into the world of The Town (2010, dir. Ben Affleck).
If the opening title cards are to be believed, the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown is home to a feeding ground for bank robbers. The Town tells the story of one such crew. Doug MacRay (Affleck) leads the crew, which we first see hit a bank with incredible efficiency and preparation. Things go slightly wrong at the end of this first robbery when James Coughlin (Oscar-nominated Jeremy Renner) insists they take the bank manager Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) hostage. This is not part of their usual routine. They eventually let her go but are worried she may know too much and can report to the FBI, chiefly represented by Special Agent Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm). MacRay begins to follow Keesey and ends up beginning a romantic relationship with her. When Coughlin finds out, this causes tension among the crew and backs them all into a corner as the FBI begins to close in.
That summary (complete with its unfair depiction of Charlestown as Bank Robber Central) does little to explain the complexities of these relationships and how they intertwine. That is the joy of this film – watching the inevitable play out in such a pleasing way that, even if you guess what is coming (as you most likely will for 90% of the film), you will be entertained. Full disclosure, I am a sucker for heist films, as I have discussed before, so my opinion of the film may be enhanced by this from the jump. Watching Frawley and the FBI methodically build a case and wait for the crew to make a mistake is engaging even on multiple viewings. And the final robbery – set and filmed on location at Fenway Park – “the cathedral of Boston” as stated by Pete Postelthwaite’s Fergie – is a stunning visual and tension-filled sequence that again feels both inevitable and fresh.
The performances are all great with particular note given to Renner. At one point he and Affleck share one of my favorite lines of dialogue in recent film history. Affleck comes into Renner’s apartment unannounced and says, “I need your help. I can’t tell you what it is, you can never ask me about it later, and we’re gonna hurt some people.” Renner contemplates for a second and replies, “Whose car we gonna take?” That line, the steely delivery and terrifying implications, tells you everything you need to know about James Coughlin. Affleck is at his best – which I have noticed he usually is when he directs himself. Hamm nails it as the FBI agent. And the entire cast – at least the ones who are asked to do it – nail the Boston accent, notoriously one of the trickier ones to get right on film. Don’t believe me? Watch The Departed and see the entire gamut of great (Mark Wahlberg, a Boston native) to terrible (Jack Nicholson and Martin Sheen, who both seemed to think just getting the pahk yah cah in Hahvahd yahd sound was enough).
I was watching part of it again recently when I said aloud to my wife that every time I watch this film, I appreciate it more. I would say my rating for it began somewhere in the low 200s and it has just steadily moved up to where you see it ranked below over time. That is my favorite kind of film – one that gets better with repeated viewings and holds up now fifteen years after its release. Ignore the fact that the title is awful and check this one out.
FUN FACT – Victor Garber plays a small role as the assistant bank manager at the first robbery. He appeared in this small role as a favor to Affleck. They have known each other for years as Garber played opposite Jennifer Garner (Affleck’s ex-wife) on the TV show Alias. Because of that connection, Garber even officiated Affleck and Garner’s wedding. Garber has a slightly meatier role in Affleck’s directorial follow-up, Argo.
Just Watch says that The Town is currently streaming on HBOMax. It is available for rent/purchase on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and many other services.
As a reminder, here is the original post that details the scores and weighting system.