"A “Town” Full of Pity and Action"
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What You Need To Know:
Ben Affleck stars and directs in THE TOWN, and also co-wrote the script. His movie is filled with brilliant, affecting performances, unpredictable plotting, emotionally powerful motivations, and richly drawn, complex characters. However, it is spoiled by too much foul language, very strong violence, some sexual content, brief nudity, and depicted drug use. Also, the protagonist’s criminal behavior is not resolved completely.
Content:
(RoRo, C, B, LLL, VVV, SS, NN, AA, DD, MMM) Strong Romantic worldview of trapped characters mixed with light Christian, moral elements due to main character’s deeply expressed regrets, quest for redemption and deep desire to escape his criminal lifestyle and some references to Catholicism, including belief in an afterlife; at least 60 obscenities (including many “f” words) and 10 strong profanities; very strong violence includes three major robberies and a couple of extended car chases, both with wanton destruction of property including the willful explosion of a truck in dangerous proximity to pursuing police officers, endangerment of innocent bystanders, one female bank executive is kidnapped at gunpoint, many close-up shots of people being hit with shotgun handles, graphic shot of protagonist shooting another person point blank in the head, implied shooting of man in crotch for revenge of mother’s death, and life of protagonist’s girlfriend is threatened to get him to do crime; strong sexual content includes extended, fully clothed sex scene that ends with it having been clearly emotionally empty and pathetic to the people involved, discreetly shadowed sex scene; split-second shot of topless stripper sliding down a pole and upper male nudity of protagonist; alcohol use and lead character shown attending AA meeting; several quick shots of people snorting cocaine; very strong miscellaneous immorality includes armed robbery, kidnapping, lead character initially establishes relationship with woman based on lies though he seeks and receives forgiveness, a general spirit of rooting for the bad guys as they conduct their robberies and destruction, capped by a crude note from protagonist to main FBI official designed as a comic laughter, character breaks away from his criminal past and has the stolen money used for good, and other moral relativism.
More Detail:
THE TOWN tells the often compelling yet morally mixed tale of a Boston bank robber who wants to go straight but who finds circumstances keep forcing him back into further crimes against his will. As co-writer, director and star, Ben Affleck pulls off an impressive hat trick, alternating crackerjack action scenes with powerfully quiet emotional ones. But ultimately, rated from a Christian worldview, the film is corrupted by the fact our hero is a robber and that even his shot at redemption in the end is made with his stolen funds.
Doug MacRay is a career bank robber who wants to do better with his life, but whose imprisoned father was a career criminal himself. Also, Doug’s entire circle of friends is composed of his fellow robbers. They all live in the Charlestown section of Boston, a hotbed for such criminal activity near Bunker Hill.
Doug’s best friend and fellow robber, Jem, takes a female bank exec named Claire hostage during the film’s opening robbery. Doug is drawn by his guilt to make sure she’s okay, and the two wind up falling in love.
Doug wants to make a change for the better and escape his lifestyle and city with his new love, but his criminal overlords blackmail him into more jobs. Ultimately, he has to flee without the woman, leaving his friends and money behind to start his life over alone in another state. There, he wants to do good with his new lease on life.
THE TOWN is filled with brilliant, affecting performances, unpredictable plotting, emotionally powerful motivations, and richly drawn, complex characters. It is an entertaining, if not Oscar-worthy, night at the movies. However, it is spoiled by much foul language, very strong violence, some sexual content, brief nudity, and depicted drug use. Furthermore, the protagonist’s criminal behavior is not resolved completely, resulting in too much moral relativism.
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