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𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝒃𝒍𝒖𝒆-𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝑩𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒏 𝒏𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅-𝒄𝒂𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅: 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒏
The Town is a 2010 American crime thriller film co-written, directed by, and starring Ben Affleck Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, and Blake Lively.. Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) leads a band of ruthless bank robbers and has no real attachments except for James ( Renner), who -- despite his dangerous temper -- is like a brother. Everything changes for Doug when James briefly takes a hostage, bank employee Claire Keesey. Learning that she lives in the gang's neighborhood, Doug seeks her out to discover what she knows, and he falls in love. As the romance deepens, he wants out of his criminal life, but that could threaten Claire
Before any words are spoken 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒐𝒘𝒏 tells us what it's all about in making a bold claim about a small section of Boston that establishes it is a make-shift criminological warehouse. This statistic is, of course, more hyperbole than it is fact, though predicated in a claim made by 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒏 𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒆 in 1995:
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒅 (𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒏) 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒓 𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚, 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝑭𝑩𝑰 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔”
Having read this as someone native to Boston, Chuck Hogan eventually published a novel entitled 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒔 in 1995, which as source material laid the foundation for 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒐𝒘𝒏 to unfold as a trauma that understands and punctuates the intense nature of camaraderie whether it be rooted in illegal activity or general misconduct; in spite of being misguided or an inaccurate, this opening statement pulls its own weight in contextualizing every interaction and chime of discourse that Doug is pulled into, not to mention a more in-depth picture that gets painted with specificities and proves nastier overall.
Bearing in mind the nature of Claire and Doug’s relationship, 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒔 is a more contentious affair; the romantic potential between these two characters is a foil to the extent to which those wanting to apprehend Doug (Chiefly, F.B.I. Agent Adam Frawley) also come to be in Claire's good (but also wildly indecisive) graces. Screenwriter(s) Peter Craig, Aaron Stockard, and Affleck still manage to accent what good such conflict can present in the longer run but avoids indulging as a digressive subplot: it decides instead, to introduce snarky and kinetic energy between Doug and Adam with a directfulness that exploits whatever headspace they have to offer.
Dynamic when need be, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒐𝒘𝒏’s pacing allows further for the development of characters that would otherwise be one-dimensional: what would otherwise be a convoluted game of cops-and-robbers gets to heart of conditioned behaviors irrespective of how socially acceptable they are deemed to be in a matter-of-factly and, more importantly, authenticious way. It further goes without saying that palpable leverage is gained through performances that go above and beyond as extensions of empathy towards the real-life people being potentially represented: Renner’s in particular presenting a fraught balance of betrayal, heartbreak, and aggression that might otherwise get lost in a swarm of inappropriate theatricalism.
What distinguishes 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒐𝒘𝒏 most from its source material is in the optimism that can be found in its theatrical conclusion.The Doug we get to know in writing is inundated with resignation, ultimately pressured to carry out his crew’s most ambitious caper with dire consequences: whether this is a
vote of confidence for karma or justice is largely up to interpretation. What Affleck and company bring to the equation is separation from systemic and familial barriers: though a bit unbelievable, done with the empowering suggestion that individuals from hardened backgrounds have greater control over their lives than they might expect or believe, and that they are capable of change (and the sacrifices they requires) when given the opportunity.
(Sidenote, there is a version of 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒐𝒘𝒏 that has an alternate conclusion more in line with Hogan’s; the #TLDR is that Doug is killed by a pair of individuals whom are seeking revenge for an interaction happens earlier on in the film, further reinforcing the message that people can only get so far away from the consequences of their own actions)
Though in a position to be haughty and smug, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒐𝒘𝒏 paints a scene that ultimately feels quite familiar: an area its inhabitants love to hate but can't quite abandon without justification for doing so. All that get endorsed when it comes to absolvement without due exoneration aside, there's a case to be made for starting over in the truest sense: moreover, with special consideration for elements that confine people to communities that pose various risks in the long-term. What Affleck wishes to encapsulate as “freedom” most is still up for debate, but maybe being held hostage in that sense just comes with the territory.
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Reviews with images
Based on the Chuck Hogan novel The Prince of Thieves
I love the book and I saw the original cut of the film. I wanted to see how the extended cut stood up to the novel and the original film. With the extended cut, you get 26 mins of footage that is not in the original cut. I would say about half of it doesn't add to the movie, but some of the extra scenes do add to the movie. The extended cut is worth seeing.
