The Town

Seen in the extended version --- I struggled with my final rating until the last minute. But I'm faaar from rating this brilliantly directed ride below average, on the grounds that it's all too idealized, predictable, emotional to the point of revulsion in places, and that Affleck "just doesn't have it in him". He delivers more than perfectly in terms of craft and if he can’t keep from some more emotionally intense and at the same time simpler moments here and there :)), what the hell. More than well shot action (the very opening ambush scene is breathtaking), proportionately developed psychology of the main characters (not too "deep" but not too simple or ridiculous), Elswit's excellent cinematography, and Affleck's thorough direction – for me it was enough. :) 90% and I'll see what I think the second time around. (02/01/2011)

The similarity of the plot with Heat bothered me. Otherwise, The Town is a film that needs to mature a bit, just like its more famous predecessors. Heist crime is a genre that cannot be devoured like candy and watched every Saturday throughout the first year, everything needs to be “felt” somehow. And the bluish camera filters, the behaviour of the main characters, the sense of their actions, as well as the weapons, the “mafia sector”, and other things around – they are directly tied to the time when the film was made, and only with the passage of time and the addition of a bit of sentiment and perspective can one truly enjoy it. Right now, The Town is somewhat similar to a young wine, immature somehow. It is a classic story, but Ben Affleck has heart and it shows in every other shot. As a film, The Town is well executed, the action is gripping, and the catharsis is not lacking either. And do people know, or foresee, how it will all end? Can we have a variation in such a laid-out film that we haven't seen somewhere else already? Right now, I think we have exhausted almost everything. Don’t expect something original, better focus on other qualities in the given genre, and this film undoubtedly has them. (24/12/2010)

The inspiration from Heat is quite evident, but I wouldn't say this film copies it blindly and attempts to sponge off it, but rather that Ben Affleck is a fan of Mann and his famous film, so he wanted to pay tribute to his role model with his film The Town. Unlike Heat, which was based on the confrontation of two tough men, masters in their field, Affleck focuses more on the romantic relationship between the criminal and his female victim, which gradually turns into love. It can even be said that The Town sometimes inappropriately romanticizes the underworld and relationships between criminals based on friendship and solidarity. Reality is much more down-to-earth, yet in terms of the story, action, and acting performances, I am satisfied and have no problem giving it 4 stars. It's not a film that revolutionizes its genre, but true professionalism emanates from it, and for a genre fan, it's a safe bet. Overall impression: 80%. (06/03/2011)

Ben Affleck scored again for me, this time twice over. I can't even decide if he was better as an actor or director. The screenplay is admittedly corny a few times and not brimming with originality, but I still enjoyed it. I gobbled this film up from beginning to end. The action was spread out evenly and because of that there was no time for boredom. The dramatic scenes were not needlessly thrown in and the dialogue was believable enough. Additionally, I was pleased with Blake Lively's minor role and the impressive music throughout. A very strong 4 stars. (09/09/2011)

It is more than obvious that this is Affleck looking up in awe at Mann’s Heat. And it is already clear that he definitely has the talent to film a similar, timeless masterpiece. The Town is not yet that masterpiece, not even in the extended version (I haven’t seen the regular one, but I certainly wouldn’t cut even a minute off the longer one). For that this is too much of a Heat beta version 0.5, but... But this is the only negative I can think of. (06/12/2010)