Not a Movie Snob - The Town

Posted on Monday, September 20, 2010 at 05:00 PM

"What'll it be today boys, a bank or a truck?"

The Town

The Affleck's are fast becoming a force to be reckoned with in the film industry. Casey is one of the best young actors on the scene right now, giving amazing performances in everything he does. And Ben, the guy that at one point not too long ago everyone loved to knock, the less successful of the team that won Oscars right off the bat in their careers for writing Good Will Hunting. Now he's becoming one of the next great directors with back to back home runs for Gone Baby Gone and The Town.

Both movies are set in the blue collar, low income neighborhoods of south Boston. Both feature many of the same actors in supporting roles, locals for extra's and hard hitting crime stories based on previously released books. Gone Baby Gone dealt with kidnaping and crimes against children, this one deals with bank and armored car robberies.

A crazy, almost shocking title card at the beginning of the film tells us that many of America's bank robbers and armoured car thieves come from a neighborhood in south Boston called Charlestown and that the profession is something that is passed down from father to son like an heir loom. Crazy.
It was a good call including that though. You realize as you watch the film that these guys almost didn't have a chance. They were born and bred for this lifestyle, conditioned from birth. A crime 'king of the neighborhood' type comments at one point that all the guys in Ben Affleck's crew resemble their fathers, their father's having worked for him as well. It drives the point home.

The robberies themselves are intense to say the least. Adrenaline filled, fast paced and shot with such skill you wonder why the hell Affleck didn't start directing earlier.

The performances are all straight perfection. You buy the realism of the story because you buy that these guys have lived in this neighborhood all their lives. Even Affleck, who did grow up in Boston, and who is a good actor and is definitely best suited to these kinds of roles.

The story does get a little familiar at times, but even when it does, you don't care because it's so well told and compelling it doesn't hurt its value.

The Town is a tough, violent, gritty, exciting, well told, well acted Boston crime flick that you should see on the big screen for full effect.

Easily one of the best of the year.

Rating: *****

PS- After seeing so many south Boston set films, I think I've finally unlocked the secret to their very unique accent. All you have to do is change all the u's to a's when saying fuck (to be very authentic, make sure to say fuck a lot). And say all your 'ar's' like 'ah's.' Example: 'Shut the fack up and just get in the fackin' cah.' See? Now next time you're in south Boston, you won't seem so out of place.