The Town - An Underrated Masterpiece
Hi everyone, and welcome to my newest blog post. This time around, the subject is the 2010 crime thriller "The Town", starring Ben Affleck , Jeremy Renner & Blake Lively amongst others. This was a movie that was received extremely well by critics for almost all aspects of the movie. However, it doesn't seem to be one of those movies that was universally loved amongst fans, more "yeah, that was okay".
For me, this is one of my top 5 movies of all time. The directing, story & acting are all excellent, and of course given that the film centres around bank robbery, it has its fair share of thrilling scenes. However it is the dialogue that really set this movie apart in my opinion, leading to my dad and me endlessly quoting the movie down the years since we first watched it. Take the following scene as a perfect example:
The movie centre around 4 friends from Charlestown neighbourhood in Boston. Doug (Ben Affleck), Jem (Jeremy Renner), Albert (George Carroll) & Dez (Owen Burke). The 4 friends routinely carry out bank robberies together, and this is where we first meet them. In the act of committing the first robbery, they end up having to take the assistant manager, Claire (more explanation later), hostage as an insurance policy. They later release her unharmed. Unfortunately, the 4 of them realise that Claire actually lives close to them, and they realise she could be a problem in identifying them if the investigation in to the robbery gets that far.
As a result, Doug (Affleck) begins to follow her in order to ascertain how much she knows/has told the police. Jem is in no doubt that she needs to be removed from the equation, but Doug continues to follow her/interact with her to stop Jem from doing this. The relationship between Doug & Claire develops into a romantic one, at some points you end up hating Doug because he has completely duped this woman, and only the audience know what him and his friends had done to her. All of this leads to a fantastic scene where Jem runs into Claire & Doug, realising that his childhood friend is not being honest about his relationship with Claire:
It's just one of many scenes in this film that has you on the edge of the seat, but purely by manufacturing a tense atmosphere with dialogue. Anyway, back to the film before I start waxing lyrical about everything again.
As Claire & Doug continue their relationship, Doug opens up to Claire and reveals background on himself that even we had not known. Doug tells Claire of his search for his long-lost mother, who he believes went to live with his aunt in Florida, and also about his failed opportunity to become an NHL player (which he threw away). Doug is already the most human of the four robbers, but this look back into his past endears him to the audience, and you almost begin to feel sorry for him due the lot he drew in life.
Things really start to take a turn when Clare reveals that she saw a tattoo on one of the robbers, which Doug knows to be Jem, and she could identify them to the police. Doug uses some clever reverse psychology, he encourages Claire to tell the police and that she will be placed in witness protection, which causes Claire to withhold the information.
Throughout all of this, John Hamm a.k.a FBI agent Adam Frawley, has been chasing down the gang and attempting to identify them. The gang attempts another robbery, which runs into a few snags, causing them to engage in a shootout in the street and be chased by the police. I think this robbery actually provides deeper insight into Jem & Doug's relationship. They are best friends, almost brothers, and Doug has a child with Jems sister. However, Jem is a loose cannon who Doug needs to control, Jem wants to push for this second robbery, whereas Doug thinks its too risky, and it ends with them almost getting caught. In any case, they do manage to get away, thanks to a cop quite literally looking the other way:
However, even though they got away, this is the opportunity the FBI needed to pull them in, and each of them is interrogated by Frawley & his team. Unsurprisingly, none of them turn and he is forced to release them all. Doug decides it's time to get away, and asks Claire to go with him , and she accepts. However, this is a fatal mistake, as when Claire quits her job suddenly, Frawley gets suspicious and has her phone tapped & threatens to prosecute her as an accomplice after realising that she is seeing Doug. Claire is mortified to discover that the person she is in a relationship with was one of her kidnappers, and she agrees to cooperate with the FBI investigation.
The pressure in the movie is ramped up at this point. Doug & the gang are looking at another job, but Doug has reservations. Crime boss & general lowlife Fergus "Fergie" Colm threatens to kill Claire if Doug does not go through with the job, but it doesn't stop there. He proceeds to tell Doug how he controlled his father by making his mother an addict, which led to her suicide. This fact shatters the story Doug believed of his mother, and also garners a resentment towards Fergie. Reluctantly, in order to keep Claire safe, Doug agrees to the job.
Doug and Jem enter Fenway Park in Boston, disguised as Boston PD officers, in order to steal $3.5m in gate cash, and prepare to escape in an ambulance, disguised as paramedics. Unbeknownst to them, Kristal (Jems Sister) has revealed elements of the plan to the FBI, leading to them surrounding Fenway before the robbers can get out.
A shootout ensues, causing the death of Dez and Gloansy, but Jem & Doug manage to get away. Jem is determined to not go back to Prison, and after being cornered, he goes down fighting after being shot by Cops. It's a sad moment in the movie, Jem is a brash & harsh character but in this moment he would rather die than go back inside.
Doug goes after Fergie, knowing that Claire would not be safe as long as he is alive. Doug murders both Fergie and his bodyguard, entering under the guise that something had gone wrong with the job. This feels like retribution for Doug, particularly after the revelation Fergie made about his mother. Doug call Claire, but watching from across the street notices the FBI are with her, but she actually (using a verbal clue only they will understand) tells him to flee rather than betraying him to the FBI. Doug escapes on a train in a transport authority uniform, and everything seems to come to an end.
In the final moments, we see Claire gardening and discovering a bag full of cash and a note from Doug, who suggests she can put the money to better use. The movie ends with Doug looking out over the water in Florida.
I really don't think this film gets the credit it deserves. As I mentioned at the beginning of the blog, the main reason I love this movie is the dialogue and interactions between the characters. There are so many scenes where it is purely a conversation, but with clever writing and even better acting, it manages to draw you in and get you right on the edge of your seat. Also, it makes you feel empathy towards a group of people who frankly should be in jail for what they have done, which is a strange feeling to have as you watch the movie. If you have not seen it yet, watch it! You wont regret it.
Thanks For Reading
Adam
For me, this is one of my top 5 movies of all time. The directing, story & acting are all excellent, and of course given that the film centres around bank robbery, it has its fair share of thrilling scenes. However it is the dialogue that really set this movie apart in my opinion, leading to my dad and me endlessly quoting the movie down the years since we first watched it. Take the following scene as a perfect example:
As a result, Doug (Affleck) begins to follow her in order to ascertain how much she knows/has told the police. Jem is in no doubt that she needs to be removed from the equation, but Doug continues to follow her/interact with her to stop Jem from doing this. The relationship between Doug & Claire develops into a romantic one, at some points you end up hating Doug because he has completely duped this woman, and only the audience know what him and his friends had done to her. All of this leads to a fantastic scene where Jem runs into Claire & Doug, realising that his childhood friend is not being honest about his relationship with Claire:
It's just one of many scenes in this film that has you on the edge of the seat, but purely by manufacturing a tense atmosphere with dialogue. Anyway, back to the film before I start waxing lyrical about everything again.
As Claire & Doug continue their relationship, Doug opens up to Claire and reveals background on himself that even we had not known. Doug tells Claire of his search for his long-lost mother, who he believes went to live with his aunt in Florida, and also about his failed opportunity to become an NHL player (which he threw away). Doug is already the most human of the four robbers, but this look back into his past endears him to the audience, and you almost begin to feel sorry for him due the lot he drew in life.
Things really start to take a turn when Clare reveals that she saw a tattoo on one of the robbers, which Doug knows to be Jem, and she could identify them to the police. Doug uses some clever reverse psychology, he encourages Claire to tell the police and that she will be placed in witness protection, which causes Claire to withhold the information.
Throughout all of this, John Hamm a.k.a FBI agent Adam Frawley, has been chasing down the gang and attempting to identify them. The gang attempts another robbery, which runs into a few snags, causing them to engage in a shootout in the street and be chased by the police. I think this robbery actually provides deeper insight into Jem & Doug's relationship. They are best friends, almost brothers, and Doug has a child with Jems sister. However, Jem is a loose cannon who Doug needs to control, Jem wants to push for this second robbery, whereas Doug thinks its too risky, and it ends with them almost getting caught. In any case, they do manage to get away, thanks to a cop quite literally looking the other way:
However, even though they got away, this is the opportunity the FBI needed to pull them in, and each of them is interrogated by Frawley & his team. Unsurprisingly, none of them turn and he is forced to release them all. Doug decides it's time to get away, and asks Claire to go with him , and she accepts. However, this is a fatal mistake, as when Claire quits her job suddenly, Frawley gets suspicious and has her phone tapped & threatens to prosecute her as an accomplice after realising that she is seeing Doug. Claire is mortified to discover that the person she is in a relationship with was one of her kidnappers, and she agrees to cooperate with the FBI investigation.
The pressure in the movie is ramped up at this point. Doug & the gang are looking at another job, but Doug has reservations. Crime boss & general lowlife Fergus "Fergie" Colm threatens to kill Claire if Doug does not go through with the job, but it doesn't stop there. He proceeds to tell Doug how he controlled his father by making his mother an addict, which led to her suicide. This fact shatters the story Doug believed of his mother, and also garners a resentment towards Fergie. Reluctantly, in order to keep Claire safe, Doug agrees to the job.
Doug and Jem enter Fenway Park in Boston, disguised as Boston PD officers, in order to steal $3.5m in gate cash, and prepare to escape in an ambulance, disguised as paramedics. Unbeknownst to them, Kristal (Jems Sister) has revealed elements of the plan to the FBI, leading to them surrounding Fenway before the robbers can get out.
A shootout ensues, causing the death of Dez and Gloansy, but Jem & Doug manage to get away. Jem is determined to not go back to Prison, and after being cornered, he goes down fighting after being shot by Cops. It's a sad moment in the movie, Jem is a brash & harsh character but in this moment he would rather die than go back inside.
Doug goes after Fergie, knowing that Claire would not be safe as long as he is alive. Doug murders both Fergie and his bodyguard, entering under the guise that something had gone wrong with the job. This feels like retribution for Doug, particularly after the revelation Fergie made about his mother. Doug call Claire, but watching from across the street notices the FBI are with her, but she actually (using a verbal clue only they will understand) tells him to flee rather than betraying him to the FBI. Doug escapes on a train in a transport authority uniform, and everything seems to come to an end.
In the final moments, we see Claire gardening and discovering a bag full of cash and a note from Doug, who suggests she can put the money to better use. The movie ends with Doug looking out over the water in Florida.
I really don't think this film gets the credit it deserves. As I mentioned at the beginning of the blog, the main reason I love this movie is the dialogue and interactions between the characters. There are so many scenes where it is purely a conversation, but with clever writing and even better acting, it manages to draw you in and get you right on the edge of your seat. Also, it makes you feel empathy towards a group of people who frankly should be in jail for what they have done, which is a strange feeling to have as you watch the movie. If you have not seen it yet, watch it! You wont regret it.
Thanks For Reading
Adam
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