Choosing between Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and The Town last week required careful consideration at first. However, after reading how the sequel to the 1986 opus against unbridled capitalism fell off the rails in the final moments – apparently Oliver Stone chose traditional Hollywood fare over meaningful social commentary – the decision became much easier to make. Luckily, despite occasional threats to do the same, Ben Affleck kept it together — to the relief of all in attendance.
Affleck’s second turn as a director demonstrates both skill and the potential for further improvement. The camera angles adeptly capture the neighbourhood of Charlestown and the lifestyle of the characters – who rob banks to make a living. Scenic shots of Boston are spliced with hand-held shots of action scenes and low angle shots filmed from behind the character create an interesting mix.
The script is taunt and there are few loose ends. Foreshadowing is employed extensively and creates a fair amount of suspense. The Town references scenes that occurred earlier in the film or in other well-known works in order to elevate the excitement.
Rather than create half of a movie, Affleck combined two different books into one meaningful film. Detective Don Draper, also known as Special Agent Adam Frawley, is given many good lines that add comedy to the action.
The first-class cast delivers many first-rate performances. Pete Postlethwaite creates another memorable bit character, like he did in Inception, The Usual Suspects, and In the Name of the Father. Everyone else seems believable most of the time and cause no major complaints.
The protagonist, Doug MacRay, is a tragic hero who has experienced a catharsis and yearns to change his ways. He is pursed by an F.B.I. agent played by Jon Hamm. The two adversaries are not portrayed as equals (the audience does not even remember the name of Hamm’s character by the end of the film and knows almost nothing about him). That scene time is given to exploring MacRay’s personal life and the effect that years of robbery and assault have had on his soul.
Not all films can be perfect but finding a film which is intriguing for two hours is worth twelve dollars. The Town definitely falls into the latter category. ***