Town, The – A Movie Review
Doug MacRay is an unrepentant criminal, the de facto leader of a group of ruthless bank robbers who pride themselves in stealing what they want and getting out clean. With no real attachments, Doug never has to fear losing anyone close to him. But that all changed on the gang’s latest job, when they briefly took a hostage–bank manager, Claire Keesey. Though they let her go unharmed, Claire is nervously aware that the robbers know her name and where she lives. But she lets her guard down when she meets an unassuming and rather charming man named Doug not realizing that he is the same man who only days earlier had terrorized her. The instant attraction between them gradually turns into a passionate romance that threatens to take them both down a dangerous, and potentially deadly, path.
Genres: Drama, Romance, Crime/Gangster and Adaptation; Running Time: 2 hrs.; Release Date: September 17th, 2010 (wide); MPAA Rating: R for strong violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and drug use.
Directed By: Ben Affleck
Starring: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Titus Welliver, Pete Postlethwaite, Chris Cooper
We went to see this movie this afternoon at Veterans 24. The theater was pretty full even at 1:30.
Ben Affleck has proved he is a competent director. That’s not to say this was a mind-blowing movie, but it was solidly directed, well acted, well directed movie with some humor at moments and some intense action sequences.
The movie follows Doug MacRay, a bank robber who pursues a woman he and his crew had taken as a hostage during a heist. Relationships get complicated and the usual drama follows. Ben Affleck can be surprisingly affecting in his roles – he is a rather likable character despite being a crook. His other crew are not so memorable – Jeremy Renner is an interesting portrait, but nothing seen before. He is the typical bad ass who eventually steps beyond his bounds. Honestly, I don’t even remember or care about the other two guys.
The woman, played by Rebecca Hall, does a solid job as Claire Keesey. We see her hardships, her torment and anguish (albeit a bit too much). The chemistry between her and Affleck is not really there, but hey, it’s basically an action movie. Blake Lively seems out of place as MacRay’s former lover. Jon Hamm plays a standard role as the hard driving cop who will stop at nothing. And Affleck’s bosses are funny but not really memorable.
Most action sequences are fast paced and suspenseful (though the heist all seem like I’ve seen them before).
The plot was stretched a bit thin, and some of the motivations of the characters baffled me a bit. Some things were just unclear with the characters, and a lot of loose ends were not tied up. However, it’s not really a big deal to me, as I enjoyed watching it and I took it for what it was: an action film with a little heart.
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