Welcome to the Bank Robbery Capital of America

Title: The Town
Starring: Ben Affleck, Jon Ham, Rebecca Hall, Blake Lively, Jeremy Renner, Pete Postlethwaite, Chris Cooper
Director: Ben Affleck

When the movie trailer for Takers was first shown in cinemas during the early days of summer, fans of action movies were bracing themselves for a high-octane stylish robbery movie of the year which featured a cast of capable actors and actresses. What nobody realized was the fact that Takers wasn't the only bank robbery movie to be released for this year. Few weeks after the release of Takers' trailer in cinemas, the trailer for The Town was circulated all over YouTube before reaching the big screens of cinemas in North America, informing movie fans that another bank robbery movie was pitting for their attention. Instead of illustrating the glitz, glamor and style of bank robbers as shown in Takers, The Town featured a darker, grittier and even disturbing side of bank robbery which accelerated the authenticity and realism of the movie, thus making it more appealing for movie goers who crave for no-holds-barred action and also a little twist of reality. The Town started tempting action fans as well as fans of Heat and The Italian Job ( another famous bank robbery movies) when it featured more established actors like Ben Affleck and Jeremy Renner. My first impression for The Town was favorable given the fact that I am a big fan of action movies, especially those which are realistic. Initially, The Town was a movie that I categorized as one that I "intend to watch". However after reading a news article and movie review regarding the movie, I immediately shifted my category for The Town to "a must watch movie". The news article and the movie review regarding The Town that I read was more favorable than usual and apparently, The Town was being considered for Oscar nomination; seeing that I had enough convincing testimonials that the movie was really good, I told myself that I should visit the cinema as soon as possible. It just so happen that I manage to complete my assignments ahead of schedule today and I had no plans for the remaining of the day. Consequently, without hesitating, I dragged my Saudi friend to the cinema with me later in the evening to watch The Town. After more than 2 hours in the cinema, I couldn't agree more with the positive movie review and news article I recently read about The Town; it was just like what I have expected.

Set in Charlestown, Boston, The Town revolves around a team of professional bank robbers who are on their illegal quest of getting financially wealthy by robbing banks and armored vehicles transporting money. During their recent bank robbery where they raided a bank in masks, the bank manager (Rebecca Hall) was taken hostage as the robbers made their clean escape from the bank. After her release, the bank manager was traumatized before she fell into a deep state of depression. James "Jem" Coughlin (played by Jeremy Renner), one of the bank robbers was concern that the bank manager might recognize him as the perpetrator. Consequently, he decided to hunt her and silence her only to be stopped by his teammate in crime, Doug Mac Ray (Ben Affleck) who volunteered to keep an eye on the bank manager. As Doug secretly observes the bank manager, he could not help but to feel sorry for her as she continued showing signs of trauma and depression. Consumed by guilt, Doug befriends the bank manager and comforts her out of her misery. Their friendship soon blossom into a passionate romantic relationship which later forced Doug to abandon his job as a criminal and his team of robbers since he desires to start a new life with his newly made love. However, Doug's team members are not willing to let him go just yet as they have one last big lucrative but dangerous job to take care of. Meanwhile, Special Agent Adam Frawley (played by John Hamm) a determined FBI agent, diligently strives to bring Doug and his team of robbers to justice via questionable tactics such as extortion and physical abuse. The Town features an interesting and unique storyline that details the unlikely love relationship between a bank robber and a hostage.

Apart from an interesting storyline, The Town features a great content that tremendously enforce the story of the movie. The presentation of the characters were simply marvelous; Ben Affleck did a good job in presenting his role as Doug Mac Ray, a robber who did not have a good childhood yet a kind and conscious individual. Rebecca Hall carried her role as the traumatized and depressed bank manager very convincingly and Jeremy Renner played the perfect villain in the movie which never made the bad guys looked so good. Like other casts of the movie, John Hamm who played Special Agent Frawley did a great job as well, seeing that he perfectly portrayed a dedicated and relentless FBI agent which never left the movie audience in doubt for a single moment at all. The plot of the movie which goes beyond the love relationship of both Doug and the bank manager enriches the story of The Town. Doug's sad and depressing childhood was clearly narrated in the movie and the strong friendship between Doug and James was also elaborated. Although The Town starts off at a slow pace which at some point of the movie becomes a little dull, the action sequences in the middle and at the near end of the movie makes up for its short-coming. The action sequences were not only well choreographed but also featured intense action with a layer of realism to maintain its authenticity. The shoot-out between the robbers and the SWAT team which was the climatic part of the movie was above average, making The Town an action movie to remember. The car chase scene on the other hand was nothing spectacular, nevertheless it manage to give the audiences a mild thrill. Overall, the content and presentation of The Town deserves two thumbs up.

The Town excels in its presentation and content, nevertheless there were several issues that prevented the movie from reaching a perfect score. The most obvious flaw from the movie can be located at the dialog of the characters. Although the character's dialog were authentic, natural and real, occasionally one will wonder what did the characters just mumbled earlier on; it is moments like this that movie audiences can't help but to beg for English subtitles to be displayed on the screen in order to fully comprehend what the characters just said. The soundtrack of the movie wasn't even close to average. The rhythm and the music score did not help excite the audiences during the action scenes and at worst, it was easily forgotten. Despite these setbacks, nevertheless The Town is still a movie that deserves positive reviews.

After more than 2 hours in the cinema, I couldn't agree more with the positive movie review and news article I recently read about The Town; it was just like what I have expected. Overall, The Town deserves an 8 out of 10; it is a must watch movie for those who are fans of the action genre. Given, its significant emphasis on the movie's romance, The Town would actually appeal to the female audiences as well.

Celebrating at a casino after a successful bank heist

James "Jem" Coughlin. A good friend, but a bad enemy

The beginning of a romantic relationship between a hostage and a robber

Robbers in disguise.

The determined FBI agent on the hunt for the robbers.