The Town R (my opinion – this film earned the R for violence and adult intensity and adult situations)

Website – http://thetownmovie.warnerbros.com/

“Gripping crime drama. Two foes, a professional bank robber (Ben Affleck) and a dogged FBI agent (Jon Hamm) face off, with a young woman (Rebbeca Hall) caught in the crossfire.” -Steven Shomler, Good Life Movie Reviews  www.goodlifemoviereviews.com

Summary – Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) leads a gang of thieves who rob banks with precision and alacrity. They run afoul of FBI agent Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm) who is intent on bringing them down. Doug’s life begins to change once he begins to become romantically entwined with Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall), a bank manager Doug’s gang briefly took hostage in a recent bank robbery.

Rating – I give The Town 4 out of 5 gas cans. Very enjoyable and worth seeing in the theater.

My Favorite Quote – “Whose car do we take?” (In context – fantastic line, right in line with the character who says it!)

Runner up quotes – “I did not look for her, because there was nothing to find”,

“What’s the worse that can happen?”,

“It’s not your fault”,

“What should I do?”

“People get up everyday and tell themselves they are going to change their life and they never do. I am going to change mine”.

My Favorite Sequence – The car chase scene through Boston with the gang in the grimacing nun masks. well done and surreal.

Who some should you see the movie with – an adult who is a movie fan, or a Ben Affleck fan. Someone who appreciates a quality movie.

Other reviews you might find helpful – by Frank Tabouring The Screening Log www.screeninglog.com/movie-review-the-town and Claudia Puig USA Today www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2010-09-17-town

What I liked about this movie and my thoughts-

The opening scene with Ben’s crew robbing a bank make abundantly clear that these are professinals who know what they are doing. This scene also gives glimpses into the trajectory that the major characters are on.

Much has been made about Ben Affleck being the director of this movie – www.usatoday.com/life/movies/affleckdirectsthetown and  www.ew.com/ew/article/Ben-calls-the shots

Not only does Ben direct, he stars and he co-wrote the screenplay. Amazing display of talent for him in this film. The dialogue is crisp and consistent with the individual characters. The characters are well developed and interesting.

Jeremy Renner is very enjoyable as James “Gem” Coughlin. His character has realistic intensity and volatility. The way his character begins to struggle with Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck), his long time friend, plays out in a very believable manner.

I also enjoy Jon Hamm performance as FBI agent Adam Frawley. Nicely done.

This movie was filmed in Boston and in the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown. You get a sense of “place” watching this movie, that contributes to the enjoyment of this movie

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Lasyly the Sound track matches the feel of this film very well. My hat is off to Harry Gregson-Williams and David Buckley!

Steven Shomler – Good Life Movie Reviews