Movie Review – the Town with Ben Affleck (2010)

We know that it is not right to root for the bad guy, but in this case we can make an exception. We learn early on that Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) had an unhappy childhood after his mother left him at age 6 and his father went to prison. This of course is no excuse for rooting for his getting away with robbery.

The town of Charlestown in Massachusetts is known in reality as a town of bank robbers who take a vow of silence for each other. Doug MacRay is one of the fictitious masterminds who has successfully robbed a half dozen banks with the aid of his friends. In their last heist, the gang took a hostage, the female bank manager, Claire Keesey, played by Rebecca Hall. To insure that Claire did not have any knowledge of the identities of the culprits, Doug makes her acquaintance to find out what she knows. She does remember that one of the robbers, Jim, had a tattoo on his neck. Doug does his best to keep her away from his friends and for a time his friends do not realize that he is seeing Claire. He did not bank on the fact that he would fall in love with Claire which put a crimp in all of his plans.

Doug tried unsuccessfully to back away from his robbery commitments but was thwarted in this attempt by Fergie, the chief mastermind who uses his flower shop as a front for his dishonest dealings.

We become witnesses to several bank heists and the shrewd disguises that the men use. In one case, they dress cleverly as three nuns driving a car. Another case has them dressed as Boston policemen who change into ambulance drivers to ease their getaway. The usual car chases and rollovers are present here as the robbers make their way through the streets of Charlestown and Boston.

Ben Affleck directed this film and also wrote the screenplay. Jeremy Renner, who played the part of Doug’s friend Jim, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role. Affleck himself did a superb job in this film, the best performance I have seen him give. I applaud Ben Affleck for overcoming his demons and becoming the distinguished actor and director that he is today.

Sources:

Movie – The Town (2010)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0840361


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