The Town

Synopsis:

Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) leads a band of ruthless bank robbers and has no real attachments except for James (Jeremy Renner), who -- despite his dangerous temper -- is like a brother. Everything changes for Doug when James briefly takes a hostage, bank employee Claire Keesey. Learning that she lives in the gang's neighborhood, Doug seeks her out to discover what she knows, and he falls in love. As the romance deepens, he wants out of his criminal life but that could threaten Claire.

Movie Review:

"The Town" is directed by Ben Affleck and is a bank robbery movie that takes place where the actor grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. This is one of the best heist-themed movies in a long time with exciting action scenes, intense drama scenes and outstanding character development. Ben Affleck plays Doug MacRay, who is the leader of the ruthless bank robbers. In my opinion, this is Ben Affleck's comeback role and is one of his best performances; it proved that he really can act. Doug's best friend, Jim, played by Jeremy Renner is a standout actor in this movie and steals the show. He is funny, ruthless when he needs to be, and nails the Boston accent. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Jim and it was well deserved. The supporting cast includes Rebecca Hall who plays Claire. She is a bank employee at the bank Doug's crew robs then everything changes. After the heist, Doug seeks her out but falls in love with her in the process. I loved their chemistry together and they felt like a real couple even though it gets complicated when she finds out that Doug was the one who was the mastermind behind the bank robbery. Also, John Hamm, Blake Lively, Titus Wellver, Pete Postletwaite, and Chris Cooper are extremely talented and they add good drama to the scenes that they are in. The action scenes like the heist and the shootouts are intense and very well directed by Ben Affleck and I could tell that he was inspired by another famous bank robbery movie, "Heat"—I was engaged every minute of this film anticipating what would happen next. The only think I didn't like about this movie was the ending; it was sad, depressing and felt rushed. "The Town" is an intense movie with great action and drama scenes, outstanding and likeable characters, and some subtle humor that makes you laugh. And of course it's from one of my favorite directors, Ben Affleck. I am giving "The Town" a 4 out of 5 stars.

Director: Ben Affleck

Cast: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Titus Wellver, Pete Postlethwaite and Chris Cooper

Runtime: 125 minuets