In short and super-simplified, the film tells of Doug McRay, a robber who falls in love with Claire, a bank manager who has been held hostage in one of his previous strikes. This, of course, leads to serious complications about his upcoming robberies, as well as his plans to end his criminal life. In this way, he becomes an easier target at the same time as a tireless agent of the FBI and the criminal figures behind his team's big blows, who, among other things, are also responsible for his family's misfortune. Or, in other words, a not very original and embarrassing story - about a bad but good man who is a function only of the environment in which he grew up and who yearns for some positive change in his life - built from an endless cliché storyline in which there is almost nothing original, the heroes, though well developed, are in pain familiar types, and the final is clear from the first minute.
However, "The Town" turns out to be one of those very rare cases where, despite these huge drawbacks, the end result is more than satisfactory. And, under the satisfactory way, I mean that "The Town" is definitely one of the best "heist" films of the last few years. If we have to compare it to a piece, the first title that comes to mind is not Scorsese's "Departed" - though if we judge on the trailer, that's what we are expecting - or the previous great, but underrated, directorial project Ben Affleck, with which he shares a lot of things in common, and Michael Mann's unsurpassed "Insomnia " urban astronauts. The history, rhythm, attention to detail, the hero's development and motivation, and the perfect choreography of action-packed episodes all create the feeling of a positive replica of classics with Pacino and De Niro.
Extremely adequate directing, which for the moment does not leave the impression of self-interest. And when a man thinks that behind him is a man like Affleck ... But let's not curb his soul, he's a director. We just do not see how he could do two good movies one after another if he did not have the talent for that job. On top of that, his performance in front of the camera is not bad. At least I do not think he was any better. Speaking for performance in front of the camera, the cast in the face of Affleck himself, Rebecca Hall, John Ham, Chris Cooper, Blake Lively, Pete Postmuthate, and Titus Wellwave is more than fantastic. The real jewel, however, is Jeremy Renner, who, despite being loaded with one of the most clichéed images, manages to make a sound and memorable role that makes me completely alter the negative opinion I had for him. I strongly hope that in the future I will not see it only in a similar role, not for anything but because there is really a chance for him to do something good.
Before I finish, I can not miss one of the big clichés when it comes to movies where the place of action is immense, because in this case it will be absolutely true. Truly Boston - and in particular Charlestown, one of the Boston districts where, as we are assured at the beginning of the movie, more bank robbers and carnage guards live than any other city in America - it's like a hero in the film. He is the true heart and soul of history. You feel the isolation and painful affiliation of the people living in it, you see its unpleasant and repulsive side, but you also see the harsh beauty of a city that few people fully understand. To summarize, though, she suffers from not one and two problems - the biggest, of which I personally think is the final itself - "The Town" is an adequate and engaging crime drama that offers you one of the best genre manifestations for many years now.