The Town is based on the novel "Prince of Thieves", by Chuck Hogan. The screenplay was written by Affleck, Peter Craig and Aaron Stockard, who co-wrote the screenplay for Gone Baby Gone with Affleck. Both films were directed by Affleck, who is a good actor, but his work behind the camera may end up being his greater legacy.
Four masked Boston bank robbers get away with the money and a female bank manager, Claire, as hostage. They let her go without her ever seeing any of their faces. Later, one of them, Doug, decides to check her out to see if the FBI has found out anything from her. They end up meeting, dating and fall in love.
As the FBI close in, the gangsters continue to practice their trade. In the film's most exciting sequence, they dress as nuns and rob another bank. They race to get away in one of the most adrenaline pumping moments to be found in a theater this year. It even ends on a funny note that actually adds to the tension.
The film's climax takes place in Fenway park, off the field. As a long time Red Sox fan, I imagine Affleck was thrilled to film those scenes. It is another great heart pounding moment, but it also contains the movies only questionable plot hole. Doug and his boys are all just working class Joes, yet they pull off very detailed jobs not seen outside of a Mission Impossible plot. Luckily, Affleck has the directorial skills to keep the film from going over the top.
The action scenes are well balanced by some good drama and dialogue. Pay attention when Claire tells Doug about her sunny day. It comes into play later on. One of my favorite moments is when Doug asks his temperamental best friend James for help, "We gotta do somethin'. I can't tell you what it is, you can never ask me about it after we're done, and we're gonna hurt some people." James merely looks at Doug with a blank expression and asks, "Whose car we takin'?"
Like in Gone Baby Gone, Affleck directs with an eye for "real" characters, that look real. So often in films you have actors that look like models that are pretending to be average folks. See Takers (2010) or Public Enemies (2009) for good examples. The cast of The Town all seem very authentic as average folks. Other than a pointless scene where a shirtless Affleck shows off his toned body, the only one who looks like they climbed out of a catalogue is Jon Hamm, but he plays an FBI agent, so it works. His most memorable scene is with Krista when they discuss his 6 inches.
Krista is the sister of Doug's best friend, and Doug's sometimes sex partner. She is very reminiscent of Helene in Gone Baby Gone. Both women are drug using single mothers with the judgement of a 5 year old. Under Affleck's direction, they both come across as sympathetic characters, even though they can so easily be viewed as pathetic.
In fact, that is the key to The Town. Doug is a criminal, who has hurt many people in his life and by the time the movie is over he has killed people as well. However, you come to like Doug as you see him as a man not wanting to be who he has become. He had dreams that were destroyed, leaving him to go along with a life laid out before him by unfortunate circumstances. After he falls for Claire he again starts to think of a different life, and we root for him to fulfill that goal.
