Worse,
he's also fallen for bank manager Claire (Rebecca Hall) who his gang
took hostage (then let go) in their most recent raid. Quitting his life of crime isn't an option thanks to a sinister boss (Pete Postlethwaite) and a best friend (The Hurt Locker's Jeremy Renner) who would rather kill him than see him leave the old neighbourhood behind. What's a poor bank robber to do? The Town is more of a rock‑solid slice of genre fiction than anything really original, especially if you've seen Heat any time recently. But there are lot worse films to knock off than Heat, and the performances here are more than good enough to give the characters life beyond their genre roots. Where The Town
really takes off is in the numerous heist sequences; consistently edgy
and often startlingly effective, they show Affleck to be a first‑class
director of suspense. On the (slightly) down side,
the story ticks the right boxes but lacks freshness, especially if
you've had enough of brutal crims with soft centres. It's
not exactly implausible that Doug has no problem sticking a gun in
someone's face to get money but goes all mushy over a girl, but
considering the brutal effectiveness of the heist scenes it does
detract from the knife‑edge reality that's The Town's greatest strength. Still,
Affleck's work behind and in front of the camera makes this better than
it should be : maybe there are second acts in Hollywood after all. DVD Special Features
Includes theatrical version plus extended cut not seen in theatres,
Commentary on both versions by Ben Affleck, Ben's Boston:
Actor-director Ben Affleck takes you through the moviemaking process in
his hometown. Segments include: The Cathedral of Boston;
Nuns with Guns: Filming in the North End; Pulling Off the Perfect
Heist; The Town: and more
Conclusion - Movie: 90% Extras: 90%
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