the town (2010) review
It would be unfair to begin by saying the same guy who made Gigli made The Town. Yes, Affleck stars in both but he only directed one. And oh my goodness is it an amazing film. I would feel that way even if I hadn’t grown up in the same town and went to the same high school as Affleck (and Matt Damon). The Town is a Boston streets level thriller jammed up with nearly perfect performances from a who’s who of Hollywood talent including Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively and Chris Cooper. Affleck, in no small part due to playing a character you can be sure he’s met and interacted with, is mesmerizing as Doug McCrae, the quintessential crook with a heart of gold. Oscar nominee Renner is a revelation as McCrae’s best friend and trigger man with the hair-trigger temper. The Town stands out amongst the dime a dozen crime caper genre on the authenticity of its performances and from being largely shot on location in Charlestown, Boston and Cambridge with supporting actors native to the region. There is not a cringy fake Boston accent to be found. Wicked.
The Town gets a 10 out of 10 for general audiences and if you are from Boston or the surrounding areas you didn’t need this review to exist.