The second entry in Ben Affleck’s unofficial Boston Trilogy as a director, “The Town” — released between the phenomenal “Gone Baby Gone” and the unfortunate misfire “Live by Night” — is now streaming on HBO Max. Two years before his third directorial feature, “Argo,” won Best Picture at the Oscars, Affleck delivered a quintessential Boston thriller loaded with grit, explosive violence, and respect for the place that raised him.
At its core, 2010’s “The Town” is an old-fashioned heist movie with neo-noir coating that follows a small, tight-knit group of criminals who make their living by robbing banks. They’re efficient and meticulous to a degree that suggests an upbringing immersed in crime — the kind of life where street smarts and illegal skills are handed down between generations. The leader of the crew is Doug MacRay (Affleck), a true Bostonian who’s been looking to get out of the game for years. He really wants to leave this life behind, but there’s always another “last job” where things go sideways.
In his team’s case, it’s another robbery where they take a hostage while trying to flee the scene, blindfold her, and then set her free. To make sure that she doesn’t talk to the cops, Doug decides to surveil her — which his hot-headed best friend Jem (Jeremy Renner) pushes back against, suggesting they should just kill the girl — and before he knows it, he falls in love with the woman. Naturally, complications arise, the crew’s next robbery spirals out of control, and a chase by the FBI to catch the team quickly unfolds.
The Town follows in the footsteps of Heat
If “Gone Baby Gone,” Ben Affleck’s debut as a director, proved that he can create a lived-in atmosphere and slow-burning tension as a filmmaker, “The Town” goes a step further to show that he’s just as capable of populating a story with nail-biting action on top of those first-rate skills. Upon its release, it was no coincidence that some critics brought up Michael Mann’s beloved classic, “Heat,” when they talked about “The Town.” Affleck’s film is thematically similar, thorough, and breathtaking when it comes to breakneck action sequences.
Measuring up to the Robert De Niro and Al Pacino-led masterpiece might not be possible, but that doesn’t stop Affleck from trying: every gunfight, car chase, and physical confrontation strikes as a carefully orchestrated set piece. Execution is everything when it comes to such action thrillers, and Affleck pulls it off with a confident hand (in addition to Robert Elswit’s spectacular cinematography) and a controlled pace that spikes my adrenaline levels every time I rewatch the flick.
But I’d be remiss not to mention the superb cast, besides the technical brilliance. Next to Affleck and Jeremy Renner, there’s Rebecca Hall as the love interest, Jon Hamm as an FBI special agent, Pete Postlethwaite as the feared local crime boss, and Blake Lively as a deeply damaged woman infatuated with Affleck’s lead. With an imposing cast like that — on top of the movie’s other impressive features — it’s easy to see why “The Town” is heralded as one of the best crime thrillers of the 2010s. A reason why every genre fan should watch it while they can — if they haven’t already.
