Ben Affleck conquers with The Town

The Town
Directed by: Ben Affleck
Starring: Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, John Hamm, Rebecca Hall
Written by: Ben Affleck, Peter Craig, Aaron Stockard (adapted from Chuck Hogan's Prince of Thieves)

Ben Affleck came back to the Boston-set-crime subgenre after Gone Baby Gone with The Town. While I can’t say that it is a better movie to ‘Gone’, The Town better showcases Affleck’s capability as a director. Adapted from Chuck Hogan’s novel Prince of Thieves, the movie tells quiet a conventional story about a career criminal (bank robber to be exact) who falls in love and decides to do that one last job and get a peaceful life. It is Affleck’s deft direction that makes the movie a joy to behold. The Town is more action-oriented than past similar movies like The Departed and Gone and the director shows his ability in directing fast-paced, intense shootouts and car chases sequences.

The Town’s screenplay gives extra care towards dialogues and character interactions and development. It never rushes itself just to arrive at another action scene. In fact, no one should ever go to see the film and expect a mindless action flick. That is why the movie is so wonderfully cast to fill up its rich characters, and what performances do the actors give. Ben Affleck himself gives a powerful performance as a man in a moral crossroads. Gone are the memories of his derided performances in blockbusters like Daredevil and Armageddon. Two senior actors Chris Cooper and Pete Postlethwaite show off their acting virtuosos even within short screen times. Recent Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner gives the best performance of the film in a mercurial and trigger-happy role. Whenever Jem, his character, is onscreen, we can feel the lingering and menacing feeling in the air. The actresses, Rebecca Hall and Blake Lively, impress as well in adding real pathos.

There is a scene, the best scene of the movie, between Affleck's, Hall's and Renner's characters in an outdoor café that shows that thrills can be built up as well in a conversation scene as that in a gun battle. It also shows that although the film boasts somewhat spectacular action set-pieces, they simply serve to spice up rather than sacrifice the narrative.

The Town is a well-cast crime drama with a predictable but riveting story. Ben Affleck could be the next Clint Eastwood after all and he could perhaps one day direct a better Matt Damon vehicle.

My Rating: 7.5/10