This one of the few good action movies that I have watched for the year since it had a good plot, the characters were developed very well and the ending was quite poetic – not so romantic like Filipino movies with a happy ending but not tragic either. It was just right! It is actually a story about four men: Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck), James "Jem" Coughlin (Jeremy Renner), Albert "Gloansy" Magloan (Slaine), and Desmond "Dez" Elden (Owen Burke), from the dangerous streets of Charlestown, a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. The town is known for being a breeding ground of bank robbers and these 4 friends are no different since they belong to a generation of bank robbers in their town. The first scene shows them robbing a bank, and taking bank manager Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) as hostage. After Claire's release, Doug follows her and soon develops a relationship with her.
FBI agent Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm) investigates the crew and soon finds out that they work for "Fergie" Colm (Pete Postlethwaite), a local florist. As Doug’s relationship with Claire progresses he becomes hesitant to undertake their next assignment, and his fears are confirmed during the robbery in the North End, where gunfire erupts. The police arrive quickly, a chase ensues, and the team barely escapes.
During a visit to his father (Chris Cooper) at the local federal prison, Doug reveals he is planning to leave Charlestown. So when the florist approaches Doug with another job he turns it down. He tells Fergie he will not do the job, but Fergie reveals that Doug's mother never left the family but committed suicide after Fergie got her addicted to drugs in retaliation for Doug's father attempt to leave (like what he is trying to do now). He threatens Doug that he will kill Claire if he does not do the job so Doug finally agrees.
The gang’s next job is at a baseball stadium at Fenway Park, they get in disguised as Boston police officers, trick the guards and counting room staff, steal millions of dollars, and prepare to leave in an ambulance dressed as paramedics. But, the FBI got info from Jem’s sister and Doug’s ex-girlfirend who got hurt that Doug’s left her for Claire so they were able to surround the building. They get into a gunfight with police officers and two of their friends die while Doug and Jem put their cop uniforms back on and slip out. But Agent Frawley figures out the ruse, catches sight of Jem, and tries to arrest him. Jem is cornered by the police. Knowing there is no way out, Jem chooses to let the police kill him in suicide by cop fashion, rather than go to prison for the rest of his life.
Doug escapes in a police cruiser, heads to Town Flowers, and kills Fergie, the florist. He calls Claire and asks her to come away with him, but he is watching from a house nearby and can see the FBI are in the same room with her. Claire, though she has learned of Doug’s lies to her at first tells him to come to pick her up, but in the end her love for him wins out and she gives him a coded message to warn him that the FBI are there. Doug escapes from Boston. Later, Claire finds a bag buried in a community garden containing money, a tangerine and a note that ends with "I'll see you again, on this side or the other." Claire uses the money to finance the renovation of a local hockey rink, and dedicates it to Doug's mother.
Nice ending eh - although Doug doesn’t get caught for his crimes he gets to turn over a new leaf and still he doesn’t get the girl. Overall, it was good directing by Ben Affleck. He's clearly a smart and avid student of the medium and in this second outing as a director, The Town, he has created such an enjoyable and exciting movie. With this crime drama, he more than proves that he also deserves to sit behind the camera.
[photo grabbed from IMDB]
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