As he plans another job, a long-time thief runs into a serious conflict of interest when he falls in love with the bank manager of his last heist--and the only person who could possibly give him away to the FBI.
In Ben Affleck's directoral debut, we get an edgy drama centered on Boston. For a film that has numerous opportunities to bog itself down, I was rather impressed at the pacing of the film. It's not going to keep you on the edge of your seat, but it shouldn't put you to sleep either. Some people might critique my use of the word "edgy" to describe it, but I do so because in contrast to the rest of the film, the violence that you do see is startling and almost seems out of place.
One concern that always seems to come up among the public is sympathyzing with criminals, particularly when the main character is one himself. I can safely tell you that that is not going to be an issue in this film. In fact, aside from Doug Macray (Ben Affleck) and Claire (Rebecca Hall), you probably are not going to particularly like any of the other characters in The Town. So do not go into the film with the assumption--which is safe in most films--that there will be a character for you to associate with and empathize with because even for these two characters that can be a bit of a stretch. I very much felt like a relatively impartial third-party watching events unfold than someone who felt invested in the story I was being told.
Perhaps the most influential part of the film is the way it ends, and let me explain why. As the film plays on and we begin to put together pieces and learn things about our characters and their past, the plot builds and builds to a point where as an educated audience we realize that there are only a couple of different ways that things can end. Now the ending is not a bad ending, and personally I thought rather well done, but something feels... off. I still haven't been able to put my finger on why, but I feel like there must have been some better way to approach it and I do not know what exactly that is at the time of this writing. Still, a good film that is worth a look.
