Ben Affleck first burst onto the scene in 1997 when he won an Oscar along with matt Damon for writing Good Will Hunting. This proved that he had what it takes to help create excellent films but unfortunately he spent the next 12 years as a pin up actor starring in a slew of average films. 2009 finally saw him back to making films with his brilliant directorial debut Gone Baby Gone. Now with The Town, a film he both directs and stars in, proves that Affleck is a serious director with the talent the make brilliant films.
The Town tells the story of a bank robbery gang based in Charlestown, Boston. After one of their jobs doesn’t go to plan and they are forced to take a hostage, one of the members named Doug MacRay is tasked with getting to know the hostage to make sure she has no information on them that can take them down. He starts to fall for her though leading to complications between himself and his childhood friend James. As he plans his next job to get him out of the robbery game, MacRay must try and keep the gang and his love life together; all the while an FBI agent is trying to take him down.
There is no doubting that the town lacks originality and contains almost every cliché in the book; namely the bank robber doing just one last job in order to start a new life with the woman he loves. What makes The Town standout though is how well written and directed it is, Affleck has got the direction spot on; the pace of the film is perfect, there is just the right mix between drama and action and he has gotten great performances from all of his cast, including himself. Even though it is nothing new, the main plot is well written and will have you engaged in the characters from the off. The action scenes are wonderfully shot with some incredible shoot outs that will have you on the edge of your seat. The ending is also very well done despite the cliches and works well with everything that came before it.
9/10
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