The film opens with some information about the notorious town the film is set in. Charlestown is an Irish-American blue collar neighbourhood in Brooklyn with the highest rate of bank robberies in the USA. Affleck plays Doug Macray whose Father was sent to jail for robbery and whose Mother ran away when he was six. Pain seems to rip throughout Charlestown's districts, with every family having a sob story or a reason to turn to crime. When Macray's mother left and his father was jailed he went to live with his best friend, obligatory psycho Jim, and became a part of his family. It was no happy ending for Macray there though. Jim was jailed for nine years for murder, his fragile, single mother drug addict sister Krista starts a casual relationship with Doug and their mother dies from HIV.
Once Jim gets out of the clink he and Doug set up a super group of specialists for bank robberies, with Doug as kingpin. This is where the film starts, right in the action as the group (dressed up as the grim reaper) rob a bank.It quickly becomes clear that Affleck is playing the cliche good guy making the best of a bad upbringing in a town with few options and Jeremy Remmer is the quintessential short fused nut case with a casket that has his name on. The gang are clever, well researched and take their time with robberies... but this time something goes wrong and they take a hostage, terrified bank manager Claire Keesy, with them.
They release Claire unharmed but Jim realises she lives only four blocks away from them and wants to frighten her into silence, but Doug knows of Jim's viciousness and follows Claire to the launderette where they begin talking. A realistic slow burning yet doomed relationship begins between the two as they have dates and open up to one another. Doug believes he can escape with Claire and start a new life in Florida but this is not the case. Jim shows that Irish American loyalties run deep and his fury and hurt tells us that residents never leave Charlestown, choosing to tough it out and stick by their families. Not only does Doug have the anger of Jim to deal with, he soon realises florist / vicious manipulator / drug dealer and heist planner Fergus "Fergie" Colm (played by the great Pete Postlethwaite) has no intention of letting him go either.
The Town is fast paced and never gets lazy. When there isn't a bank robbery and getaway to enjoy there is the fast talking Boston chat between characters and the petty violence that they believe is their only way of getting through to people. The costumes for the bank robberies add an extra edge to the film, in particular the nun costumes which are both humorous and scary. The cat and mouse game between Macray's gang and FBI agent Frawley keeps the film taut as Doug keeps only a few steps ahead to keep himself out of jail.
Frawley and Claire prevent us from feeling too sympathetic towards the criminals. Frawley sees them as dangerous scum who need to be locked up and Claire remains traumatised and shaky from what happened to her throughout the film. Angered by the gangs arrogance, Frawley gets personal and shows Claire a photo of the man he believes to be in charge of the robberies. Devastated at seeing her boyfriend's face Claire wants nothing more to do with Doug, but he is determined to leave with her and start a-fresh with her... after one final robbery.
Dressed as cops Jim and Doug get into the super bowl and leave with three million dollars, but the police and FBI are outside waiting for them. Little did Doug realise just how personal Frawley would get, going after Krista and playing on her fragility until she was backed into a corner and had to tell him what she knew. A big shoot out scene between cops and robbers follows as Jim and Doug escape in their police officer costumes. Frawley notices Jim's large bag and there is the inevitable shoot out between hot headed Jim and the cops that doesn't end well.
Knowing that the robbery is "a massive fuck up" and also knowing what Fergie did to his mother, Doug takes revenge on the vicious bully that had been controlling his life. The net gets tighter and Doug escapes alone but leaves a gift of money, an orange and a schmaltzy note to Claire. The film ends with Claire reading the note and hearing Doug's voice explaining one day they will see each other again "in this life or the next."
The Town gives us nothing new in this genre but familiarity is no bad thing if a film is as well directed and acted as this. It is a punchy, tight and engaging action movie that allows us not to have to think too much but to just sit back and enjoy.
They release Claire unharmed but Jim realises she lives only four blocks away from them and wants to frighten her into silence, but Doug knows of Jim's viciousness and follows Claire to the launderette where they begin talking. A realistic slow burning yet doomed relationship begins between the two as they have dates and open up to one another. Doug believes he can escape with Claire and start a new life in Florida but this is not the case. Jim shows that Irish American loyalties run deep and his fury and hurt tells us that residents never leave Charlestown, choosing to tough it out and stick by their families. Not only does Doug have the anger of Jim to deal with, he soon realises florist / vicious manipulator / drug dealer and heist planner Fergus "Fergie" Colm (played by the great Pete Postlethwaite) has no intention of letting him go either.
The Town is fast paced and never gets lazy. When there isn't a bank robbery and getaway to enjoy there is the fast talking Boston chat between characters and the petty violence that they believe is their only way of getting through to people. The costumes for the bank robberies add an extra edge to the film, in particular the nun costumes which are both humorous and scary. The cat and mouse game between Macray's gang and FBI agent Frawley keeps the film taut as Doug keeps only a few steps ahead to keep himself out of jail.
Frawley and Claire prevent us from feeling too sympathetic towards the criminals. Frawley sees them as dangerous scum who need to be locked up and Claire remains traumatised and shaky from what happened to her throughout the film. Angered by the gangs arrogance, Frawley gets personal and shows Claire a photo of the man he believes to be in charge of the robberies. Devastated at seeing her boyfriend's face Claire wants nothing more to do with Doug, but he is determined to leave with her and start a-fresh with her... after one final robbery.
Dressed as cops Jim and Doug get into the super bowl and leave with three million dollars, but the police and FBI are outside waiting for them. Little did Doug realise just how personal Frawley would get, going after Krista and playing on her fragility until she was backed into a corner and had to tell him what she knew. A big shoot out scene between cops and robbers follows as Jim and Doug escape in their police officer costumes. Frawley notices Jim's large bag and there is the inevitable shoot out between hot headed Jim and the cops that doesn't end well.
Knowing that the robbery is "a massive fuck up" and also knowing what Fergie did to his mother, Doug takes revenge on the vicious bully that had been controlling his life. The net gets tighter and Doug escapes alone but leaves a gift of money, an orange and a schmaltzy note to Claire. The film ends with Claire reading the note and hearing Doug's voice explaining one day they will see each other again "in this life or the next."
The Town gives us nothing new in this genre but familiarity is no bad thing if a film is as well directed and acted as this. It is a punchy, tight and engaging action movie that allows us not to have to think too much but to just sit back and enjoy.
