Review: "THE TOWN"

There's nothing more poetic than a story about second chances. We all make mistakes-- some small, some big-- but in the end, everyone deserves a shot at redemption if they truly want it. While this theme is always fodder for great fictional stories, it's even better when it happens in real life.

And probably one of the greatest career redemption stories belongs to none other than one Ben Affleck. A talented actor and Oscar-winning screenwriter, Affleck was one of the biggest heartthrob superstars in Hollywood, landing many leading roles in multimillion dollar blockbusters, not to mention the paparazzi buzz that comes with such territory. But then from 2003 to 2004, a high-profile relationship with a certain pop star and ill-advised roles in the atrocious flops Gigli and Surviving Christmas seemingly stopped Affleck's career in its tracks.

But unlike many Hollywood stars who would blindly carry on and foolishly hope that they could salvage their careers, Affleck laid low for a while, married Jennifer Garner (a much more stable and appreciated "Bennifer" than the previous one), and began his return to Hollywood's good graces. He started with an acclaimed supporting role in the 2006 noir thriller Hollywoodland, followed the next year by a terrific directorial debut in the form of Gone Baby Gone, and now The Town, a gripping and engaging sophomore effort about a man who, like Affleck in real life, attempts to redeem himself and begin life anew.

The Boston neighborhood of Charlestown is considered the bank robbery capital of the America, not to mention an equally high rate of armored car stickups. One of the more infamous perpetrators of these crimes is Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck). A former hockey prodigy and recovering alcoholic, Doug clearly couldn't escape the shadow of his criminal father Stephen (Chris Cooper), who's currently serving several life sentences.

With his best friends James "Jem" Coughlin (Jeremy Renner), Albert Magloan (George "Slaine" Carroll), and Desmond Elden (Owen Burke), Doug works under the employ of Irish drug lord Fergus Colm (Pete Postlethwaite), who was also Stephen's boss, and the four thieves have just robbed a Cambridge bank. The masked crooks escape by taking a hostage in the form of bank manager Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall). Even though she's released unharmed, Jem worries about her going to the Feds since she lives four blocks away from the crew. Doug keeps an eye on her, and initiates a relationship so he can find out what she knows.

However, Doug doesn't expect to fall for Claire, a complication exacerbated by not only his on-again-off-again relationship with Jem's junkie sister Krista (Blake Lively), but also Doug's budding desire to quit the criminal life and leave Charlestown. This desire isn't met by enthusiasm by either the volatile Jem, or Fergus, who's plotting a huge robbery at Fenway Park. As Doug keeps his criminal ways secret from Claire, he must contend with his crew, employer, and FBI agent Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm), who's getting even closer to cracking down on Doug's crew.

As evidenced by previous crime thrillers such as Mystic River, The Departed, and Affleck's own Gone Baby Gone, the city of Boston has served as a rich backdrop for gritty, hardboiled cops-and-robbers tales. Even though crime procedural films are a dime a dozen, The Town (based on the Chuck Hogan novel "Prince of Thieves" and scripted by Affleck, Aaron Stockard, and Peter Craig) separates itself from the medicore bunch by focusing more on the robbers than the robberies. Namely, the themes of how no matter how much a person wants to change, his enviroment and the people he surrounds himself with makes such goals seemingly impossible.

In the lead role, Affleck does a fine job playing the troubled protagonist, a formerly promising hockey star who threw it all away when the family business invariably caught up to him. It's obvious that he lacks enthusiasm for his line of work, unlike his ruthless boss, played with sinister glee by Postlethwaite, or his trigger-happy lieutenant, played by a fantastic Renner (a performance that's easily the best of the bunch). Owen Burke and Irish rapper George "Slaine" Carroll do well as Doug's other crewmembers, but Rebecca Hall and "Mad Men" heartthrob Jon Hamm can't do much with their love interest and cop roles, respectively.

Luckily, The Town's action sequences are marvelous, exquisitely choreographed and masterfully edited, proving once again that there aren't many things more exciting in movies than a good bank heist followed by a car chase. It's all appropriately brutal and bloody, but never done in an excessively exploitative way. Of course, this film is no Heat, but it does its job. But the most impressive thing about The Town is Affleck's direction, which suggests an increasing maturity and surprising skill with a genre that demands both qualities. Though it's too early to say that we may have a new Clint Eastwood on our hands (as far as actors becoming directors goes), it's certainly not outside the realm of possibilities for Affleck cement his status as such a performer.

Though not really breaking any new ground as far as crime dramas go, The Town is nonetheless a superb entry in a growing list Beantown-set thrillers, with a its protagonist's redemption story mirroring that of the film's director's revived career. Congratulations, Mr. Affleck: consider Gigli a thing of the past.

Letter Grade: "B+"