The Town (DVD)

Responsible for writing the screenplay and directing the film as well, star Ben Affleck audaciously crafts a gripping "cops and robbers" tale, set in Boston's Irish area of Charlestown. This part of the city, known as "the town", has a history of producing bank robbers, and Doug Macray is simply following in his father's footsteps. The trouble is, Doug doesn't want to do this forever, and when he falls for a bank manager taken hostage by his crew, he starts to envision a future away from crime.

The storyline is simple and well-known: that of the criminal who wants out but is forced to choose between one last job or escaping a sordid past. But Affleck's polished script manages to throw quite a few surprises in along the way. The tale becomes thrilling and tense, especially when the "secret" affair is exposed. Does Macray try to save his new-found love or instead salvage his rocky relationship with his best friend and 2nd-in-charge, who also seems to be getting more reckless and dangerous?

There are no easy answers, as the script is refreshingly realistic, which is also echoed by the raw and sometimes-brutal heist scenes. The acting performances are all top-notch; especially from Affleck (although his Irish accent does waiver every now and then), Jeremy Renner as his best friend (scoring an Oscar nominations in the process), Jon Hamm (from TV's Mad Men) as the FBI agent tracking them and a chilling Pete Postlethwaite, in his last film role, as the neighbourhood's gangster boss. Reminiscent of The Departed, but that's not a bad thing at all. (4 out of 5, by Carlisle Johnson)

Doug MacRay is the leader of a Boston bank robber gang, but he is not cut from the same cloth as his fellow thieves.

When Doug falls into a passionate romance with the bank manager briefly taken hostage in their last heist, he wants out of this life and out of the town.

As the Feds close in and the crew questions his loyalty, he has one of two choices: betray his friends or lose the woman he loves.

General

Studio:	Warner Home Entertainment
Country of origin:	South Africa
Release date:	April 2011
Actors:	Ben Affleck • Jon Hamm • Jeremy Renner
Dimensions:	192 x 137 x 15mm (L x W x T)
Format:
Running time:	2 hours, 5 minutes
Region encoding:	Region 2. This DVD will play in all South African DVD players.
Audio format:	Dolby Digital 5.1
Age restriction:	16 SNLV
Categories:	DVD > Crime DVD > Drama DVD > Feature Film
LSN:	X71-SEP-4FH-7
Barcode:	6003805000071

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