The Town is the second film directed by Ben Affleck, which delves into a crime thriller involving bank heist, Irish mobsters and a crime leader torn up between his life of crime and love.
This movie further proves the directing talent of famed actor Ben Affleck after his directorial debut in the crime thriller ‘Gone Baby Gone.’
The movie centres on a small town in Boston called Charlestown, where Doug (played by Ben Affleck) and his friends work as bank robbers under a local Irish mobster.
Although the robbers are smooth in their heist, their frontman Doug suspects Claire, the bank’s assistant manager, knows their identity as she was taken hostage.
However, the plot turns when Doug spies over her but eventually falls in love. As their relationship continues, Doug learns Claire can identify his best friend Jem from robbery.
After one of his heists goes wrong, he decides to move with Claire to another state, but both the FBI and his mobster boss get hold of it.
Ben Affleck portrayed not only action-packed heist scenes but also complex relationships between Doug and other characters in this film.
Doug befriended Claire only to protect his lifelong friends but fell in love with her. On the other hand, when he decides to move on from his criminal life, Jem doesn’t let him go as he shares a brotherly bond between them even though they don’t have any family ties. That leaves him in a dilemma- choosing between family and love.
Affleck’s portrayal of investigations draws interest as he makes the audience root for the bad guys. FBI special agent Crawley is depicted as a brutal but clever and quietly Machiavellian law enforcement officer.
The audience can see the battle of wits while he interrogates Doug after getting arrested on an awry heist. He manipulates Claire into working for him by gathering enough dirt to frame.
Crawley even goes far to exploit Doug’s ex-girlfriend to gain vital information on him. But it all goes in vain after Claire cryptically tells Doug to flee even though she was at the hands of agent Crawley.
Pete Postlethwaite plays a significant role as the Irish mobster Fergie. Fergie is an exemplary depiction of an antagonist who shows he can still be menacing and intimidating even though posing as a florist to hide his true self. Pete’s northern, rough Irish accent convinces the audience of a dangerous Irish mob boss.
The Town consists of a stellar cast including Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Rebecca Hall, Pete Postlethwaite, among others.
Directing and screenwriting by Affleck proves that his Gone Baby Gone was not a one-film wonder and his directing finesse in the making.
The film also won awards and several nominations. It won National Board of Review awards under two categories- Top Ten Films and Best Acting by an Ensemble Cast.
It was also nominated for several awards such as Academy, Golden Globe, BAFTA awards, etc.
