Ben Afflecks recent resurgence in popularity can be attributed more to directorial projects like Argo (one of my favorite movies from recent years) and his 2010 feature The Town. If Argo is undeniably his quintessential movie, filled with top-notch filmmaking in every regard, then The Town at times feels like a warm-up session for that 2012 Best Picture winner. Affleck is dipping his toes into staging larger sequences of action, and while it's not quite perfect, I can honestly say I was amazed at how fantastic The Town was on its own merits.
Charlestown, Massachusetts. A place where bank robbers thrive, living in their own criminal idyllic paradise.The kids in the neighborhood look up to these robbers, who know that the life of being a major criminal isn't nearly as perfect as it appears (imagine that!) Charlestown is portrayed as a sort of haven for folks like Doug (Ben Affleck) and James (Jeremy Renner), who have spent most of their adult lives pulling of major crimes, and I love how it's depicted as a place that one can reasonably live in, while also overflowing with seedy activity. The exterior may depict a place of normalcy, but within, there's a hive of villainy constantly thriving.
Peter Craig, Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockhard are responsible for creating the screenplay for this movie, and they do a marvelous job of bringing Charlestown and its inhabitants and enemies to life. I'm especially pleased with how well-rounded the cast is; none of them come off as one-dimensional, they all have some sort of depth to them. Jon Hamms FBI agent character is a great example of this, since he's able to play smarmy to a tee, while also allowing a shade of vulnerability to eke out. Ah, but none can even come close to Doug, a character richly written as a tortured soul who clings to Doug like there's no tomorrow. There's a chance that Doug could have become some repetitive plot device, and nothing more, but the expert screenwriting and Afflecks splendid directing help keep him interesting. But the man responsible for making the character the best part of the film is Jeremy Renner, who makes sure all the pain that Doug lives with is in every single movement, ever word. He's done jail time, he's done deeds that haunt him relentlessly; all he wants is Doug to help him with risky jobs. Renner conveys that sort of pain in breathtaking ways that made me transfixed to the screen.
This is only the third directorial job for Mister Affleck, but he comes off a seasoned professional throughout. The reason I brought up comparisons to Argo earlier is because I could see the great intensity he brought to the project in this movies insanely engrossing opening. I've barely even been in this world more than five minutes, but I'm already insanely invested in everything simply in the wonderful way the bank robbery is depicted. However, it's a small scene that's really stuck with me after seeing this film. It's one later in the movie, where Doug notes to Fergus Colm (known to many in the movie as The Florist and played beautifully by Pete Postlethwaite) that he won't participate in the next heist. Fergus then launches into a montage that turns him into an unforgettable villain, simply because Affleck opts to play the scene in the most subtle way possible. Affleck doesn't go over-the-top in his emotional response to this monologue, we can tell just by the words Fergus is saying what kind of fury Doug must be feeling. By the end of it, I was on the edge of my seat, knowing the stakes had been raised without a bullet having been fired. Such is the power of a masterful director like Ben Affleck working at the top of his game.
The ensemble cast of this one also contains Rebecca Hall (having some complex scenes towards the end that show how damn good of an actor she is), a surprisingly excellent Blake Lively, who really helps sell the films recurring motif of tragically wasting ones life, as well as Titus Welliver and Chris Cooper. All of them put in terrific work, though I freely admit none come close to the spectacular acting Jeremy Renner gives in the film. Honestly, the only complaint I have in the film is some "romantic" scenes between Hall and Afflecks character fell flat, but at least there's a pretty good emotional payoff for the duo. Before hitting it out of the ballpark with a masterpiece two years later, Ben Affleck managed to demonstrate that, yes, he was more than capable of creating a great, action-packed film.
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