The Town (R)

Ben Affleck has been an emerging star behind the scenes since 2007 when he wrote and directed the excellent “Gone Baby Gone.” Affleck co-wrote the mega hit “Good Will Hunting” at the age of 25, and has since won the Academy Award for Best Picture with his 2012 film “Argo.” Affleck is a good actor, and an even better director.

Similar in style to his 2007 directorial debut comes the 2010 Irish Mafia themed “The Town.” Affleck would star, and shocking to no one, the film would take place within the confines of a tough and closely knit neighborhood of Boston – Charlestown.

The opening placards display for us the setting of Charlestown, along with the “historical note” that it is in fact the bank robbery capital of the United States, with the skills to succeed in this nefarious trade handed down from generation to generation.

Boston always serves as an amazing locale for a film. It’s a giant small town in that various communities are isolated by their respective neighborhoods, and townies show an unbridled loyalty to their streets that would make the Crips and the Bloods tremble in fear.

The cast is incredible and really works together to make “The Town” come alive. Affleck plays Doug MacRay, the tactful and well composed leader of a group of successful bank and armored car robbers that work under the silent leadership of a violent Irish crime boss. MacRay’s lifelong best friend James Coughlin (Jeremy Renner) represents the arrogant, brash, and volatile member of the crew. The fast paced opening scene will draw you in quickly as the gang take down a local bank, the aftermath of which sees Doug courting the bank manager Claire (Rebecca Hall) who witnessed the event. The audience is left unsure of Doug’s motives. Has he fallen in love with Claire, or is he simply scoping out what she has told to the feds?

While the heavy Boston accents of Affleck and Renner may be a bit much, they do work well together. In particular, Renner’s character is shown to be brutally cold, but exceptionally loyal, a theme that runs constant throughout the story. “You grew up right here.” James scolds Doug at one point. “Same rules that I did.” It’s no coincidence that Claire is from out of town, and as such, not as easily trusted. I felt Affleck and Hall work well off of each other, though the intensity of the relationship comes on a bit quick for ultra-realism. Doug must sort out his feelings for Claire, and what and how much she knows, as well as his loyalties to James before it’s too late.

Ancillary characters add a perfect degree of padding to the film. The highly recognizable Pete Postlethwaite (“The Usual Suspects”) and Chris Cooper (“A Time to Kill”) are outstanding as the crime boss Fergus Colm, and Doug’s father Stephen, respectively. What’s incredible is that each man is only in one scene, but both are so mesmerizing its well worth the minor parts. “I wouldn’t hire them without you. And I wouldn’t hire you without them.” Fergus Colm explains to Doug in a completely calm and horrifically threatening way.

“The Town” presents its viewers with a dilemma; who do you root for? We know Doug is a bad guy, we know he seems to love Claire but that doesn’t make up for his actions. Doug et al. are being stalked by FBI Special Agent Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm) and his partner (one of my personal favorites, Titus Welliver) but these agents are pegged as traitors to the neighborhood, and no one wants to be a rat.

While fun and fast passed, “The Town” isn’t quit as gripping as “Gone Baby Gone.” I loved the characters and the setting, but the overall story is a bit predictable. Nevertheless, it’s a good watch for Mob Movie March.