In a strange bit of irony, the nicer and more gentrified Boston seems to get, the grittier its cinema becomes. The past decade has given us Mystic River, Gone, Baby, Gone, and The Departed. The Town is certainly in the same vein (with a healthy smattering of Heat thrown in for good measure), though not quite up to the level of its cinematic forbearers.
Both the film’s strengths and shortcomings lie with Affleck, who also directed and co-wrote the script (adapting Chuck Hogan’s novel Prince of Thieves). The film has a tough urban sensibility to it, and the action sequences are competent, if not exactly groundbreaking (The Dark Knight may have raised the bar for bank robbery scenes to an impossibly high level). Praise should be given, however, for somehow cobbling together a credible chase involving narrow streets and a minivan.
Performances were likewise convincing, to the point that Boston accents occasionally became indecipherably thick. Affleck, Hamm, Hall, and especially Renner (a hotheaded thug with a strong sense of loyalty) do a good job of imbuing their characters with depth and moral ambiguity, but this is one case where “conflicted” doesn’t equal “interesting.” Are we really supposed to be surprised that professional criminals still have humanity or that the FBI would resort to underhanded tactics?
Sadly, this lack of profundity permeates the film’s overly conventional plotting. Not only is the ending clichéd and predictable, but you can probably make good money betting on the victims and survivors. Unlike an Eastwood or a Scorcese film or even Affleck’s own previous effort, shocking moments are as scarce here as a Yankees fan in Fenway.
Engrossing, stark, and generally well-crafted, The Town is a serviceable crime drama which disappoints only in its inability to transcend the boundaries and expectations of its genre.
7.25/10
