By Nick Osborne, news correspondent
Stealing stuff is cool. At least, that’s what heist films traditionally tell us. Movies like “Ocean’s Eleven,” “The Italian Job” and last summer’s “Public Enemies” show off the glamour and thrill of grand theft. The protagonists are successful, handsome and wealthy. Their sex lives are as unstoppable as their brilliant master plans.
But instead of fancy cars, tailored suits or gorgeous, expensive houses, “The Town” depicts a group of regular guys robbing banks to get by in a gritty, dark, almost neo-noir vision of Charlestown.
Director Ben Affleck plays Doug MacRay, the leader of a ring of bank robbers. Along with his best friend Jem Coughlin (a scene-stealing Jeremy Renner), Doug plans out audacious and even scary bank robberies for the local crime boss (Pete Postlewaite), known as “Fergie the Florist.”
Jon Hamm expertly transforms from his signature role of classy advertising executive Don Draper in AMC’s “Mad Men” to playing Adam Frawley, the hardened FBI agent doggedly pursuing the bank robbers. Doug and his men hope to pull together enough money to escape their life of crime, or at least their dilapidated hometown.
But after the robbers hold up a local bank and kidnap gorgeous bank manager Claire (Rebecca Hall), complications arise. Claire falls for Doug without realizing his participation in the heist, and the jobs become increasingly risky. Jem and his bitterly smoldering sister Krista Coughlin, played by Blake Lively in a surprisingly contrasting role from her parts on “Gossip Girl” and “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” were both especially fascinating characters with harsh and painful pasts, which they both concealed behind a tough exterior and a fierce loyalty to Doug.
The cinematography is flat-out excellent, and the action scenes were thrilling and intense. Harry Gregson-Williams gives an excellent score reminiscent of the sparse theme from “The Dark Knight”: powerful and energetic, but lacking a heroic theme for audiences to hum along to, instead favoring a frenzied accompaniment to push the already swift plot forward.
The dryly sarcastic wit and clever repartee balance out explosions, romance and chase scenes. The script was clever and funny, managing to be heartfelt and frightening without taking itself too seriously.
For instance, audience members might expect the clip from trailers of the little boy watching the heavily-armed criminals approach in their creepy nun costumes to be chilling and disturbing. But instead, they cracked up at the kid’s goofy reaction.
Realistic and vividly powerful, this film really brings the complete package. And even though the Boston Police Department was quoted in a Christian Science Monitor article from last week saying, “Charlestown has approximately two percent of all robberies in Boston,” the dangerous Charlestown in this movie still feels gritty, vibrant and scarily realistic.
