The past weekend release The Town marks Ben Affleck’s second directorial venture. The movie is based in a one-mile stretch of neighbourhood, Charlestown in Boston which is home to professional robbers and criminals. One of them is the protagonist, Doug MacRay, who is a mastermind and a cut above the rest – he is the leader of a crew of ruthless bank robbers.
This is the only family he has and the closest person in the world is Jem, who is as close as a brother to him. In one of their bank robbery heists, Jem takes a hostage, Claire Keesey and McRay concerned about what Jem might do to her, proceeds to take charge. Keesey is taken in by the charming stranger and a passionate romance blossoms between them. Doug soon wants to put an end to his way of life in Charlestown and move out and move on.
However, with the FBI on his tracks, giving up now would only endanger Keesey and make him face the wrath of Jem who begins to suspect his loyalty to the gang and to him. McRay is torn between his friendship to Jem and his love for Claire and he knows he has to make a difficult choice and risk losing one of them. This thriller seems to have it all – drama, romance, betrayal, and escaping your past.
Affleck both directs and stars in the lead role in his second directorial venture and this movie promises to be a second follow up success to his debut, Gone Baby Gone, that pleasantly surprised critics and gave Affleck a promising career start. The Town is an adaptation of author Chuck Hogan’s Hammett Prize-winning novel.