The Town

Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm

Directed by Ben Affleck

Rating: 4 stars

Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) is ready to retire from bank robbing with his buddies. On what he hoped to be his last operation, he took Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) hostage but made sure not to harm her. They released her but she was disturbed by the day's events. However, Doug's team wants him to help with the promised final robbery that involves lots of cash. Doug is the brains behind the task, so he is a valuable asset that cannot be replaced. Doug agrees to do the job but he wants to confirm that Claire is doing okay so he talks to her (while she is unaware he took her hostage). Doug wants to change his ways as his feelings grow for Claire but he has to find the proper balance so that she doesn't find out his "other" side.

The Town was a well-directed movie by Ben Affleck. For the longest time, all I heard was how well-made this movie was and finally, I got to see for myself. The cast worked well together for this movie and it was worth watching. The ending was bittersweet; I won't ruin it for those who have not seen it but it gives some satisfaction to the viewers. It was interesting to see a crime movie where one of the team members wants to change to a healthier lifestyle then robbing banks. Ben Affleck's character is easy to sympathize with as he struggles with falling for a woman he took hostage while risking the chance of her recognizing the men and turning them in to the FBI.

While I would recommend this movie to those who like robbery movies, I would like to warn those that the style of The Town is different from most crime films. It contains more dialogue than action so for those who particularly enjoy lots of action between cops and robbers, The Town does have it, just not at every scene. This is a rated R movie and has mature content. When I mean mature, the average sixteen-year-old could watch this but they may not find it as enjoyable as an eighteen-year-old because the mindset is different. In conclusion, I enjoyed The Town and I would recommend it to my friends who enjoy non-mainstream movies.