I love movies set in Boston. Love them. I even loved My Best Friend's Girl, the poorly received Dane Cook comedy set it in the Hub. I am forgiving because I love the locations - I've usually been to most of them. Ben Affleck's The Town is set in a crime ridden Boston neighborhood right outside the main tourist trap areas - Charlestown. This is one area I'm not that familiar with (although I was just there a couple of nights ago, passing through.). From the moment I saw the trailers for The Town I thought two things - 1) YES! A Boston movie, and 2) this trailer gave way too much away. So here is my review:
The Town is one of the most entertaining movies in a while, yet it completely rips off The Departed and Shawshank Redemption to a point that's nearly unforgivable. I love those two movies, and there is a fine line between ripping off and paying homage, and Affleck's film pushed the line. That being said, I was completely into the story, the characters, and the direction. The writing was smart - even funny at times. There is one of the best car chases I've seen in a while. There are some great bank robbery and heist scenes. So if you leave your movie history knowledge at the door, this is a great movie. I will say though that the trailer is too revealing - if you haven't seen it, don't.
One thing that bothers me is that Affleck is from the Boston area, yet this movie paints Boston like it's Detroit. That really seems unfair. If I wasn't from here, this movie would make me want to stay away. That complaint aside, I highly suggest seeing this movie. It's thrilling, it's fun, and it's certainly worth the price of admission. I would give The Town a 7 out of 10.
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