The Town

Compelling crime thriller about a bank robber who seeks out the woman he took hostage while he was disguised, in order to discover what she knows.  The tough streets of Charlestown, Massachusetts form the backdrop of this extremely entertaining feature from director and star Ben Affleck.  As career criminal, Doug MacRay, he brings a sensitivity to a figure usually presented as a lowlife. There’s no reason why the audience should feel empathy for a felon, but the script makes his newfound romantic feelings very affecting, as he comes to terms with his life of corruption.  Jeremy Renner as his partner in crime and Jon Hamm as the FBI agent that pursues them, also give excellent performances in this ensemble effort.  The story isn’t as generous to actress Rebecca Hall however.  I must take exception to a bank manager who happily approaches a stranger in a laundromat a day after she was abducted at gunpoint.  But I’ll forgive that brief lapse in believability in an otherwise intelligent script.