The Town
Life must not be very easy in Charlestown- or maybe it is, since it seems that a lot of money is exchanged there: dedicating yourself to the noble profession of bank robbing is a tradition in this Boston neighborhood, one that is passed from generation to generation. With this very fact in place, Ben Affleck tells us several tales in "The Town" -his second movie as a director, which he also stars in alongside Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm and Chris Cooper- tales of love, of salvation and of destruction.
Affleck is thus following in the pattern of his first feature as a director, the acclaimed "Gone Baby Gone", and is also following the trail blazed by the unstoppable Clint Eastwood, a strong reference point for directors who got their start as movie stars.
The plot: the band of bank robbers lead by Doug McRay (Affleck) robs a bank and takes the bank manager, Claire, (Rebecca Hall) as a hostage. The violent James (Jeremy Renner) thinks the robbers should eliminate Claire, since she could be a potential witness in any future trial, but Doug falls for her, and the plot thickens.
"The Town", which became an instant critical success in the U.S., is based on "Prince of Thieves", the novel by Chuck Hogan. The trailer for "The Town" offers a good sneak peek at the film.
